Sparks
by random-gleekV
Summary: Joe Hart and Quinn Fabray. Two different people from two different worlds. Read how they meet and what becomes of them as they go to school from both of their POVs. We all saw sparks!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N **

**Hello. Welcome to our Joe/Quinn fanfic. We deffo saw sparks between them in 'Heart' :). Anyways, this is a colab between _Zemmamma777_ and _random-gleekV. Zemmamma777 _will write the Joe chapters and I will write the Quinn chapters. Hope you like! :)**

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><p><strong>Joe's POV<strong>

I was sitting in the passenger seat of our moving van as my mom drove us into the next chapter of our lives, my head leaned against the window, watching the unimpressive landscape zip by us. I'd been homeschooled for as long as I could remember, and my parents had decided for a little change of scene. My dad had hit just about every house in their last town with his Bible sales, and needed a fresh clientele, so he decided we'd move to Lima, Ohio, where an old friend of Mom's, Judy, lived.

When I heard about the move, I decided that if our family was going to change atmospheres, so was I. I had decided that I wanted to be enrolled in the local high school, McKinley High, because I had come to the realization that my best friend was my mom. Not that there was anything wrong with that, I love my mom, I just would like that for once, my social life extended beyond my family and the neighbours.

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><p>We backed into the driveway of the house, where Dad was waiting on the porch, waiving his arm and grinning as he saw us. Mom and I hopped out, stretching our legs and making our way over to Dad.<p>

"How was the drive?" he asked.

"Way too long," I replied.

He laughed.

"So, I spoke to the Principal at McKinley, I think his name is Figgins? Anyways, he said you should just spend the rest of the week getting used to Lima, because they're finishing up first semester, that way you can go in on Monday and start fresh," he said.

I grinned at that. "Thanks, Dad." I went and gave him a hug.

"I also got you something," he said, reaching inside the door to the new house and pulling out a brand new Element skateboard.

My jaw dropped. I had just broken my old skate board before the move, so to come to this new town, this new life, and have a new board to cruise around on had me at a loss for words.

"Go for a little spin, Joe," my mom said, grinning largely.

I needed no further convincing, and I jumped on and began propelling myself down the sidewalk of our new street, Francis Street. I stood on the board, surveying my new surroundings, trying to drink in every detail of this strange new place.

I saw some small kids tugging on the hands of either a relative or a babysitter- I wasn't going to try to guess- trying to tow them to the park down the road.

I took a corner onto an intersecting road, planning to do a full square circuit before getting back to Mom and Dad. I saw a red car pull into a driveway across the street, with a girl about my age with shoulder-length blonde hair climb out, shouldering a backpack, locking her door, and heading inside. She must have just come back from school.

I continued down the stretch of sidewalk, using the corner sign at the end to slingshot me down the closest parallel street with mine.

The rest of the ride was nice; I got to really appreciate this nice little neighbourhood we were going to live in.

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><p>When I got in, I set my deck inside the door, just as Dad had done. I quickly kicked off my sandals (as comfy as they were, going barefoot is better!) and slowly ventured into this new place, which was still bare, save for a few things Dad had brought with him.<p>

I turned into a room with the lights on, which I guessed was the kitchen. Mom and Dad were at the table, talking about the drive and about unpacking the things from the moving van.

"Ah, there he is!" Dad exclaimed. "You mind giving me a hand unloading some of the things, Joseph?"

I nodded, "Yeah, sure thing, Dad."

We opened the garage door and began carrying things in, with Mom directing us as to where certain things were supposed to go. That was how we divided it: Dad and I doing the lifting with Mom letting us know where it has to go, opening doors, and that kind of thing. It was our little quick and efficient way of going about things.

Once everything was unloaded and the van locked up, Dad and I leaned up against a wall, panting a little from the effort.

"Chinese?" he asked.

"Chinese," Mom confirmed, giving me a look.

I picked up a portable phone and a phone book, carrying them out to the now-present chair on the porch, right in front of the number tacked to the front of the house. I basked in the evening breeze that swept through the trees on the front lawns on our street. I made the call and had to catch myself when the order-taker asked for the address. I was so close to giving our old address.

"34 Francis Street," I said, glancing at the metallic number nailed to the bricks.

I went up to my room and grabbed my guitar and went back to the seat outside, and started to play some little tunes I've written here and there, little snippets of riffs, and that kinda thing.

The order came after awhile and I paid the delivery guy, giving a pretty good tip, too, and brought the meal inside, to the table, pulling the delivery boxes out of the bag, inspecting their contents, and doling them out accordingly.

We ate and joked, overall just enjoying each other's company, trading our opinions of the new town.

"I gotta say, I really like it," I said. "It looks like an especially nice neighbourhood, from what I saw on my little ride, and it was great to sit out on the seat on the porch and just let the breeze wash over me."

My parents smiled at that. They were obviously happy that I liked this new place. They had made it clear that they wanted to be sure that I liked the place as much as they did, especially since they didn't know how school would go.

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><p>I spent the next few days venturing out around the small town, taking in every little detail: places that looked cool to hang out, great places to grab a bite, the churches, good places to skate, that kind of thing.<p>

I spent a while trying to find the best route to our new church. I had a little Lima map that I bought in town, and had the "Point A" and "Point B" marked out on the map, tracing my fingers along each little path, until I found one that seemed to be the shortest, most direct way of getting to and from there.

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><p>Finally, I was woken up nice and early Sunday morning. Today was our first time at the new church. I went to the washroom, brushing my teeth and splashing my face with water to wake me up better. I trudged back into my room and took the clothes that were hung up on the back of my door and adorned them.<p>

I wasn't much for clothes that were remotely formal, but these were my Sunday clothes. I grabbed a white undershirt from a drawer off to the side, slipping it on, covering some of the Bible quotes etched into my skin. I grabbed the white button up shirt and adorned it, leaving the top button open. I slid into some black skinny jeans and slung the black blazer over top the dress shirt, tucking my shirt into my pants and sliding a nice occasions-only belt through the loops of the jeans.

I went to my socks drawer (which was virtually empty, save for about ten or so pairs [emergencies and special occasions]) and grabbed the black formal socks I had specifically for church.

I looked in the mirror and arranged my dreads into a little ponytail/bunch that I often had it in. I left that one strand of curly hair dangle in front of my forehead, turning my head slightly left and right to inspect the job.

With that, I went downstairs and went to the kitchen, giving each of my parents a kiss on the cheek and loaded my breakfast into a plate.

We ate in a comfortable silence, my dad looking over some paperwork from an order of new Bibles he'd just gotten. These were his busiest days, at church. He was always getting sales, especially with new crowds.

Once everyone was done their breakfasts and doing little last-minute touch-ups, we all hopped in the car, and I indicated the way I found a few days ago to Dad as he drove.

We got a pretty decent parking spot and went inside, doing a three-sixty spin to take in the interior of the church. Elaborate arches, beautiful stained-glass windows, it was a super nice setup.

We took spots as close to the front as we could get, and we went through the service. I couldn't help but notice at one point the blonde girl I'd seen climbing out of her car my first day in Lima, when I went for a little skate around the block. She was standing beside a woman who looked very much like an older version of herself. She looked my way and sent a hesitant little smile my way. I grinned back and kinda motioned back towards the service with my head. Her grin widened and she turned back.

Once everything was done, Mum, Dad, and I were on our way out when we came level with this girl and her mother. I overheard their conversation a bit, tuning out Mom and Dad's usual conversations.

"So, what did you think of that, Quinn?" her mother asked.

_Quinn_, I thought. _So that's her name_.

"I thought it was pretty good, Mom," the girl replied. "What are we going to have for supper tonight?"

_My goodness, not only does she __look__ like an angel, she sounds like one too!_

"Hmm, I hadn't thought of that! Any ideas?"

"Well, I was thinking Chinese, you know? It just takes the pressure off of us for having to whip something up and it gives me the shot to sort things out for the new semester at McKinley."

"That's a great idea, Quinnie," her mother concurred.

I had this little jolt of happiness inside me. _She's_ _going to McKinley too!_ _Maybe this will actually be great!_


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N**

**So this is the Quinn chapter written by _random-gleekV_. We'll switch back and forth between them. FYI, this all takes place before 'Heart'**

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><p><strong>Quinn's POV<strong>

Life is boring. Like mega boring. I mean, sure, some things are somewhat exciting, but mostly, life is dull. This week we just had exams in school. I studied for a reasonable amount of time, but I kinda regret it. They were super easy. My dream of being top of my class at Yale is that much more realistic.  
>Sometimes, I'm sure that the reason I find life so boring is because it's Lima. Talk about lame. Lame old Lima. In Lima, the coolest thing is the summer fair. There's a carnival and stuff, pretty cool...if you're six. I hate it here. No one cool comes to Lima and because we're all so lame, we never leave.<p>

"Quinnie!"  
>I groaned, "Yeah, mom?"<p>

"We have to go to church now or we'll be late!" My mom called.  
>I roll over on my bed, quickly fix my hair and run out of my room. I'm not planning to be a nun or saint or something, but I am religious. I turned to God when I was sad and in need of help. And now, I'm not turning back.<p>

Church was...church. Nothing new, nothing special. And I'm sure that has to do with the fact that it's in Lima. I love singing to the church songs, however. I'm not in the church choir. That's because the singers are all frumpy old ladies. So I do my singing from the pews.  
>I've been going to that church for over a year now at the same time every week. So by now, I've seen all the members. Right away I'd recognize anyone new. And today, I did. A small family, only three members, came in and sat in the front, which is unusual for newcomers. There was the mother: brown hair, flowing skirt and plain blouse. Then the father: tall man wearing dress pants and a navy tie. He held three bibles. Lastly, the teenage boy. Of all the family, he looked the oddest. He wore a black blazer with a white button-up shirt and black jeans. But he had dreadlocks. They were pulled into a loose ponytail. Plus, he had a tattoo and dog tags. At one point, I caught him smiling at me. He was funny looking. I smiled back, but after that, I never saw him again. Oh, well. He was probably on a road trip, making a stop in Lima. To see how boring it is. So the rest of the trip looks fun. Actually, that's so smart. I can totally picture a rowdy family in a small van driving across the country or state or whatever and the little kids are screaming the frustrated mother turns around and says 'stop this racket right now or I swear we'll turn this van around and drive right back to Lima for the rest of the trip' and the kids stop crying right away. I laugh to myself, earning a crazy look from my mother as we pull into our driveway.<p>

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><p>"New semester!" my mom called, knocking at my door.<br>Darn. I was all warm from the super thick duvet I have on my bed and now I have to get up. And go to school. Talk about lame. Either way, I got up. I picked out a light blue dress and a red cardigan. After changing, eating a cinnamon-raisin bagel, brushing my teeth and doing my makeup, I walked outside, keys in hand. I got in my small red car and drove to school.  
>Naturally, the place was swimming with kids and hallways will be the death of me. I used to love hallways. They used to part when I walked though. Now I'm forced to push and shove my way through. All because I'm not head cheerleader. Of everything I did in life, I have two major regrets- giving up Beth and quitting Cheerios. Hopefully, Coach Sylvester will let me re-join this year. My senior year. I just have to end it by being all I can be.<br>I pulled out my schedule. This semester, my homeroom was math class. Ew. Why did I take that, again? Anyways, I have ten minutes until class starts. I guess I'll go see Santana or some other Glee member.  
>I turn the corner and walk down the hall, dodging people. As I pass the school's office, I see Principal Figgins walk out.<br>"Quinn Fabray" he said, stepping in front of me.  
>I stop in my tracks, a bit scared. Why does he want to see me?<br>"Yes?" I ask casually.  
>"I need you to do me a favour" he says in his thick accent.<br>"Um... Okay..." I stutter. It's probably something stupid like bringing a sheet of paper to a teacher.  
>"We have got a new student here at McKinley High and I want you to give him a tour of the school" he replied.<br>I sighed. "Class starts in less than ten minutes" I protest. That's not enough time to even show him the bathroom in the science wing.  
>"I will excuse you for first period" Figgins said sternly.<br>"Okay" I nod. Anything to miss math. Especially on the first day. On day 1, all the teachers act super nice to you and you know it's all just an act because by the next day, they're all uptight and screaming at you again.  
>"Come meet the new student, Ms. Fabray" Figgins said, opening the office door. I followed him to into his office, where I came face to face with a boy. In fact, it was the dreadlock boy from church.<br>"Hey" He said, smiling at me.  
>"Hi" I smile back.<br>"Quinn Fabray, this is Joe Hart" Figgins said. "Joe, Quinn will be giving a tour of the school during first period. I hope you will be on your best behavior because here at McKinley, we don't put up with shenanigans."  
>"Of course" Joe said, standing up and grabbing his backpack.<br>I led him out of the office and into the hallway.  
>"So..." Joe said awkwardly.<br>"I've seen you at church" I say with a small smile.  
>"Yeah...Yeah" Joe said.<br>"So you're new to McKinley and Lima" I say. It wasn't a question. I knew it already.  
>"Yeah. And new to a school" Joe said, looking around in wonder and awe.<br>"Really?" I ask.  
>He nods. "I was homeschooled all my life."<br>"That's...cool" I say.  
>"No it's not. I mean, I love my mom and all, but she was my best friend. And that's not cool. So here I am" Joe laughed.<br>I giggle. "Here you are."  
>I show him the classes and lockers and cafeteria and library and choir room and gym and football field and everything else. He seems lost as we walk around. The whole time, we talk. Just light conversation.<p>

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><p>"Well, the period is almost over" I say, looking at the clock on the wall as we passed a classroom filled with freshman kids.<br>"So what does that mean?" Joe asked.  
>I laugh. "It means that I go to class and so do you."<br>"What class?" Joe asks slowly, with a smile.  
>"Did Figgins give you a schedule?" Joe nods and pulls out a folded piece of paper. I look at it. "Well, what do you know! We both have science together now!"<br>"Really?" Joe asks with a large smile.  
>I nod. "Yup. And we have English together too in fourth period."<br>"Righteous!" Joe laughs. We walk down the hall past the gym and arrive at the extra-curricular sign-up board.  
>"Are you interested in anything? If you are, we probably have a club for it" I say, motioning to the paper-covered cork board.<br>"Um...skateboarding..." Joe mumbles, looking at the board.  
>"Oh...I don't think we have a club for that. But at the park there's a skate park structure thingy and some dudes hang out there and skate around. And some girls too, but they just smoke and stuff. Take it from me, I'd know" I said, but regret it.<br>Joe kinda gives me a funny look but ignores it. Or at least, pretends to.  
>"What clubs are you in?" Joe asks after a moment.<br>"Several, actually" I answer. "The Celibacy club, the Glee club -don't laugh at me-, the God Squad and I used to be on the Cheerios. But I'm trying to get back on the Cheerios, too."  
>"Whoa. That's a lot" Joe says. "What's the God Squad about?"<br>"God" I answer with a laugh. "Actually, we promote Christianity in the school and connect with people in the community."  
>"That sounds cool. I'm a very devoted Christian" Joe said. "When do you meet?"<br>"You know what? Come to the meeting in that room over there" I pointed to the room down the hallway. "There's only three of us, so you'll be welcomed with wide open arms."  
>"Righteous," Joe said with a nod. "I'll be there."<br>"Great. Now we better head to science before the mass rush of students happens when the bell rings" I smile. We run down the hall to the science wing and await the start of class.

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><p><strong>AN**

**So now you have read the first two chapters. Leave a review if you got something to say! :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N**

**Hey Gleeks! Here is Zemmamma777's next Joe chapter!**

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><p><strong>Joe's POV<strong>

Quinn walked me to our science class, and I had my binder-laden backpack slung over one shoulder. I'd have to ask her about swinging by my locker after class. When we walked in, our teacher, Mr. Archibald, was standing at the front of the class, his name written on the board at the front of the class.

"_Archibald_," Quinn whispered to me, mockingly. "How stuck-up of a name is that?"

I snickered at her joke.

Quinn wrinkled her nose and set her face in a snooty expression: "Well, hello there, my name is Mr. Archibald. I come from a wealthy family and graduated college with honours and I spend my weekends playing polo with the chaps from the club," she whispered in a snooty English accent.

I laughed again.

"Hey Q!" a voice called.

We looked up from our spots and saw a- I don't want to seem racist when I say this- large black girl headed over to us.

"Hi Mercedes! How's it going?" Quinn asked sweetly.

"Not too bad. Who's the mop head?" she asked in a light tone, gesturing at me.

Normally, I might have taken offence to that, but her tone of voice suggested she was just joking around.

"This is Joseph Hart, he's new to the school. Actually, he's new to school in general," Quinn said, smiling and shooting me a look.

"Joseph? As in the husband of Mary?" Mercedes asked, curiously.

"That's the one, although I personally am not married to a Mary," I joked.

"Do you have a girlfriend named Mary, then?" Mercedes said, putting the ball back in my side of the court in this battle of jokes.

"Nope, single," I said simply.

"So, what did Quinn mean when she said you were new to school?"

"Well, up until now, I'd been homeschooled all my life, but we moved here- my parents and me- and I decided that I couldn't keep living with my mom being my best friend," I told her with a bit of a chuckle.

"How do you two know each other?" Mercedes asked, which struck me as odd, especially her tone of voice. I couldn't peg the tone. Ah, well.

"Well, Figgins had me give him a tour during first, you know, anything to miss Math. But, we'd seen each other at church on the weekend," Quinn jumped in to say, blushing a little.

"Oh, you're a devout Christian?" Mercedes asked me, her interest piquing.

I nodded, "My dad works as a door to door Bible salesman. I've grown up on Christianity. I've got Bible quotes inked all over me, I sing and play guitar, but only Christian songs. Basically, without any real outside influence, I lived and breathed Christianity."

"You should come to our next God Squad meeting!" Mercedes said, enthusiastically.

"Yeah, Quinn told me about that. When's the next meeting?" I asked.

"Later today, but I'm sure Q will fill you in about it," she replied, again that weird tone of voice creeping into her voice, just as the bell rang.

She then said a quick goodbye as she went to the front of the class to check the seating plan and take her seat for class.

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><p>Science was- well- Science. Especially since this was the first day, Mr. Archibald went over the course outline, and passed around some questionnaires for us to fill out, so he could get to know us better.<p>

Once he'd collected the sheets, he then began the mini review unit, going through supposedly prior knowledge that would be needed for the rest of the course.

For the most part, I already knew the things he was going over, while most of the others stared with somewhat glazed eyes as they tried to recall learning this, doubtless due to the fact that they probably discarded the knowledge for the duration of the summer once the exam for last year's course had passed.

Quinn was following along well, taking the occasional note when she had not remembered a certain formula or concept.

Once the bell rang, everyone practically leapt out of their seats, wanting to get out of the classroom in a hurry, as if it was somehow make the day go by faster.

"So, I forgot to ask, but could you help me find my locker?" I asked, somewhat timidly.

"Sure, let's see your timetable? They generally write it down on your timetable," she said, grabbing the sheet of paper I offered her.

"1367, it's a couple down from mine. Come on, I'll show ya!" she said happily.

When we stopped in front of the locker, she stared down at the combination that was pencilled just below the locker number by Principal Figgins earlier that morning.

She manoeuvred the dial and tugged it, the door swinging open with the lock.

"You gotta show me how to do that," I said.

"Two full spins to the right to the first number, one full turn to the left and then the second number, then turn to the right until you hit the third number," she droned off.

I frowned, whispering her instructions to myself. I closed the locker door and tried it out. It took me three tries and Quinn's repetition of the instructions to get it right.

"Thanks!" I called after her, as she went to her own locker.

"No problem! Enjoy Spanish!" she said, again smiling that radiant smile of hers.

Wait- _radiant_? Whatever, I don't know why I thought that. I put all my binders full of new lined paper in the locker, save for the one I had decorated with markers with Bible quotes and peace symbols surrounding the hard-to-miss 'SPANISH' title, which I slipped back into my bag.

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><p>Spanish was basically the same deal, only basically in Spanish. My teacher was Mr. (Señor) Martinez, who was a pretty rocking guy. He deciding to kick off the semester by showing us clips of Spanish-English songs and went over some basic Spanish, going around the class and getting everyone to introduce themselves in Spanish.<p>

It came to me: "Hola, como te llama?" he asked me.

"Me llama Joseph Hart, Señor Martinez," I replied, picking up from everyone before me.

"Muy bien, Joseph!" he said. He switched back to English: "Do you like Joseph, or do you prefer Joe?"

"Either one, I have no preference," I told him, shrugging non-commitedly to emphasize my point.

"I'll call you Joe, then. Just saves me that extra second or so," he said, laughing and we all joined in.

Once the bell rang, I headed back towards my locker, opening it and grabbing my English binder. I turned around to try and spot Quinn, looking down the block of lockers to see the blonde focused on opening her locker.

I walked up to her, "So, Mercedes said you'd tell me when the God Squad meeting was?" I asked.

She looked up and smiled.

"Yeah, it's after we have English, I'll bring you there," she said, shooting me that winning smile of hers.

"Righteous," I replied simply, walking beside her to our English class.

"You really like that word, don't you?" she asked, somehow joking and berating at the same time.

"What can I say? I just really like the word. I like the sound of it," I shrugged.

"It makes you sound like a Californian knuckle-headed surfer," she shot back.

"Do I look like a knuckle-headed Californian surfer to you?" I asked her, stopping and spreading my arms.

She sighed, "No. You look like you're ready to perform in a heavy metal rock concert."

I gave her a blank look.

"Seriously? You don't know what heavy metal is?" she asked incredulously.

"I told you, all I know is Christian music. It's what I grew up on, and I haven't been exposed to anything else, honest," I said, somewhat ashamedly.

Quinn shook her head, "Alright, I will have to expose you to the world of music, Joseph Hart," she said lightly.

"Well, if you insist, Ms. Fabray, though I do recommend we hurry ourselves to make it to our English class. Wouldn't want to be late, do we?" I said, in a drawling English accent, giving her a little wink at the end.

Oh, Lord, why did I do that?


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N**

**And here is the next Quinn chapter by random-gleekV**

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><p><strong>Quinn's POV<strong>

Joe seemed to be adjusting to school well. He seems smart too. He didn't take many notes during class. So either he's really smart or super lazy. I feel bad for him. I mean, he seems like an okay guy but due to his homeschooling, he seems to have missed out on a lot of stuff.

I mean, at lunch, Mercedes and Kurt were discussing reality TV shows. Everyone at the table mentioned their favourite show. Except Joe. Then Mercedes asked him what his favourite show was and he stared at her blankly before saying that the only show he's seen is the fireplace channel. That's not even a show! That's just fire. On TV- 24/7! That's kinda pathetic; I'm not going to lie.

So then, after he said that, everyone at the table just kinda stared at him in silence, like he was an alien. Mercedes was not-so-subtly trying to hide her giggles. I felt bad for him. He's done nothing wrong, but he's already seen as a weirdo on his first day of school ever. So right away, to break the silence, I started talking about Mr. Martinez, just to break the awkward silence. That way, Joe could join in the conversation and not be looked at funny.

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><p>My pity thoughts about Joe were interrupted by a loud bell, signaling the end of class. Goodbye English! I smiled happily at Joe and we joined the rush of students hurrying out of the classroom and into the busier hallway. Joe and I pushed our way through.<p>

"So... God Squad?" Joe asked me when it was quiet enough to speak.

"Yeah, I just need to run to my locker," I said. I hated carrying around unnecessary books and binders.

"Oh...I'll come," Joe said and we walked to our lockers. I went to my locker and Joe walked down a few meters to his own. I lost sight of him because Finn came to his locker too and blocked Joe. Finn's locker was two doors down from mine.

"'Sup Quinn?" Finn asked. "I heard you got the task of dealing with the new kid."

"Yeah. His name is Joe Hart," I nod. Finn and I don't have any classes or lunch together and I'm guessing he didn't have any with Joe either.

"I also heard he doesn't know much about teenage life," Finn continued with a smirk.

"Well, he'd been homeschooled all his life," I say. "So he's new to this all."

"Cool. Can he sing?" Finn asked. He was still always trying to recruit new members for New Directions.

I shrug. "He said he can play guitar and sing church songs."

"Well, invite him to join New Directions!" Finn said.

"We'll see," I said, closing my locker.

"Bye, I gotta go meet Rachel," Finn said before he slammed his locker shut and hurried off.

"Bye," I pick up my lighter bag and turn to Joe's locker. I weave my way over. Joe was still trying to unlock his locker with a frustrated frown on his face.

"Having trouble?" I asked with a smile.

Joe looked up at my voice and nod. "Stupid lock."

I smiled and he moved over so I can open the lock for him. "You gotta be precise, because if you are even one number off, the lock won't open." The door swung open.

"Thanks so much" Joe said with a sigh and he shoved some binders in his locker. Then he closed the locker and snapped the lock shut.

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><p>"So what do you think?" I ask Joe.<p>

The God Squad meeting had ended. It had gone over pretty well. Sam, who hadn't met Joe yet, seemed pretty okay with him. Although, personally, I think Sam was glad to see another new kid who seemed more scared than he was when he first came to McKinley. Plus, Sam goes to our church too, so he couldn't avoid Joe, even if that was his goal.

Mercedes had announced that we were going to sing to couples this week, because it's Valentine's Day, for ten dollars. I wasn't too excited. I mean, people still didn't like us singing, even if it's God Squad this time and not New Directions. All I'm saying is that I don't see us getting a lot of business.

"It was cool," Joe smiled. "It's small though."

"Yeah, the people here aren't big on clubs. Unless it's cheerleading or something cool," I said, putting finger quotations around the word 'cool'.

"God Squad is cool," Joe said.

"Hmm well, tell that to them," I said, walking to my locker and spinning the dial to open it.

"Hey! I did it!" Joe announced proudly, holding up his opened lock.

"Congrats!" I smile. "You deserve an award. I'll get the trophy factory to send one over right away."

Joe laughs. It's a full out belly laugh. I laugh just because his laugh is so contagious.

Finally, we stopped laughing. Joe's face was red and as I looked in my locker mirror, apparently, so was mine. I grabbed my coat and shut my locker.

Sam walked by and smiled. "Bye Quinn! Bye...Joe!"

"See you!" I smiled and waved quickly.

"Bye!" Joe waved too. He had a large smile on his face. That may be from the fact that we were laughing or because I think he's happy to have a friendly person who isn't a girl talk to him.

Sam walked off and Joe shut his locker door. The sound of the metal echoed through the hallway.

"Well, I'm ready to go" I say awkwardly. How do we part?

"Same," Joe said with a nod.

We walked to the doors of the school. Outside, it was almost empty. A few kids hung around in small groups, talking quietly. They were all grade 9 kids. I walked to my car and Joe followed slowly.  
>Then Joe ran ahead and punched my arm. At first, I was shocked. Why did he hit me? It wasn't hard, just unexpected. He was grinning madly.<p>

"Red punch buggy, no punch back, safety!" Joe shouted hurriedly, pointing to my red car with a smile.

Then it all made sense. I rolled my eyes and smiled.  
>"If I had a dollar for every time someone did that, I'd have enough money to buy a car that wasn't a punch buggy," I sighed and unlocked it with my keys. People did that punch thing all the time and it annoyed me sometimes.<p>

Joe laughed. "I love your car!"

I laugh. "Well, it gets me places so that's all I care. Do you have a car?"

Joe shook his head. "Not yet. My parents said I'll get one after the move."

"Makes sense" I said. Suddenly, I had an idea. "Do you wanna come over to my place?"

Joe looked surprised. "Really?"

"Sure, why not?" I shrug. I know we had just met today, but what the heck. He seems nice. "I can show you real TV."

"Oh! Selling point!" Joe joked. "I'm in!"

I laughed as we got in my car.

* * *

><p>At my house, we were just sitting down and eating.<p>

"You know what chips are, right?" I had asked, carrying a large bowl of chips into the TV room.

Joe was sitting on the end of the couch. "Yes, I love 'em"

"Great."

We were just watching TV and talking, nothing huge. I had explained 'American Idol' to him. Then we went to the music video channel so he could see what other music is like.

"There's a bunch of music genres," I said. "Rap, County, Pop, Hip Hop, Rock, Metal... Just to name a few."

"Woah," Joe breathed. "What's your favourite?"

"I like Pop and a little Hip Hop," I said. "Mostly Pop, though. I like stuff all over the place thanks to some stuff we do in glee club, though."  
>"Cool" Joe said.<p>

I heard the front door open.  
>"Quinnie! I'm home!"<p>

"That's my mom," I said to Joe, who looked scared.

"Oh," Joe said with a nod.

I heard my mom walk down the hall towards the room we were in.  
>"Hey, Quinn, whose sandals are- Joseph?" My mom gasped, looking at Joe. It wasn't a scandalous gasp; it was more of a happy surprise type looked shocked and a bit creeped out.<p>

I turned around in my seat, to face my mom, who was looking at Joe. "Do you know Joe?" I asked slowly.

"Yes," my mom nodded. "But...what are you doing here? Is your mom here?" My mom looked around the room with a smile.

I was so confused. "Mom! Can you please explain more? I am so confused and he is too!" I looked at Joe, who was blinking rapidly, like he was waking up from a dream. He was confused too.

My mom smiled at Joe. "Your mom, Ruth, is an old friend. I've heard a lot about you. What are you doing here?"

I remained silent and looked at Joe, who looked scared still.

"Wait a sec..." Joe began slowly. "Are you...Judy?"

My mother nodded. "Yes!"

Joe smiled and sighed. I think he made a connection and to him, it all made sense. The same didn't go for me, however, because I was still confused as heck. How did Joe know my mother? How did my mother know Joe?

"Oh, I get it now!" Joe smiled widely.

"I don't," I piped up. Sometimes, I feel like if I don't say anything, my mom will completely forget about me. Which is annoying at times like this. "Please explain."

Joe looked at me. "I don't know much, but I know that my mom has a friend named Judy, who lived in Lima. I think that influenced our decision to move here."

"Shut up!" My mom said excitedly. She tries to act like a teenager and say things like 'shut up!' and 'legit?' but it never works for her. A woman of her age just can't say things like that and think it's okay. It ruins the balance of the slang. That's just how it goes and I am a huge supporter of worldly balance.

"You moved here?" My mom yelled excitedly.

Joe smiled and nodded. "Like a week ago."

"Really?" My mom gasped. "That's amazing! Do you know your phone number? I want to call Ruth!"

Joe nodded and fished in his pockets for a slip of paper. He unfolded it and read out the number for my mother who wrote it down.

"Thanks so much, Joseph!" My mom grinned at him. "It's great to finally meet you. I've seen pictures and heard about you a lot."

"Call me Joe and you as well," Joe said as my mom hurried off to, no doubt, probably call Ruth Hart.  
>My mom left the room and I stared at Joe.<p>

"That was weird," I said with a smile.

"Very," Joe agreed and settled back down into the seat.

"So our moms are BFFs?" I asked, just to clarify.

"They're what?"

"BFFs," I repeated. But then I realized Joe's issue. "Best Friends Forever. It's text slang."

"Oh...okay" Joe nodded, but I don't think he fully understood.

"Do you have a cell phone?" I asked.

"Yes, but it's broken," Joe said. "I'm gonna get it fixed."

"Sweet. When you do, I'll give you my number," I said. Seeing as how our moms were besties, I suppose we would see a lot more of each other. Not that it's a bad thing. Not at all. I smiled at Joe, who looked very happy.

* * *

><p><strong>AN**

**So there we have 2 more chapters. Hope you all liked them and we'd both love it if you left a review :)**

**We'll try to update again soon. **


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N**

**Hello! Thanks to all who left a review! We love you all! Anyhoo, this is Zemmamma777's next Joe chapter!**

* * *

><p><strong>Joe's POV<strong>

So, turns out that mine and Quinn's moms were besties once upon a time! I decided that I should be getting back once we heard Judy screaming and talking excitedly in a high-pitched voice on the phone, so I grabbed my backpack with the skateboard attached to it and Quinn walked me out to the porch, and I may be mistaken, but I think she stayed out there for a while, maybe to get a break from listening to the excited chatter of her mom and doubtless _my_ mom on the other end.

Not two minutes later, I pulled up in front of our house, dismounting off the back and pressing down the back end to bring the front end up to my waiting hand. I set it down just inside the front door with my backpack, once again kicking off my sandals and enjoying the unrestricted freedom of my feet.

"Joseph Hart!" I heard my mom say from the kitchen.

Uh oh?

"You did _not_ tell me that Judy lived right around the corner from us!" Mom said, coming into view with a huge grin on her face.

I hugged her, laughing, and replied: "Look, Mom, I only found out when I was hanging out with her daughter, Quinn, and Judy came in and recognized me right away. You've been sending her pictures?"

"Of course! We would keep each other up to date, send the occasional pictures to show how you and Quinn and Frannie were turning out! We should really see about having dinner together regularly, because we're a pretty small family, ourselves, and I'm sure that with Frannie living away from home and Russell out of the picture, things must get quite lonely!"

"Righteous! I'm down. Quinn and I actually get along quite well. She gave me my intro tour, we have two classes together, and I joined the God Squad at school, which she's in. We're going to be doing Valentine's Day singing telegrams to raise awareness for the club as well as raise some money to give to charity!" I told her, enthusiastic.

"Joseph, that's great!" Mom said genuinely. "That's great that you'll be able to keep up your music. I always found you had a great voice and you're a really nice guitarist!"

"Thanks Mom!" I said, leaning forward and giving her a quick peck on the cheek, along with a hug. "Do you think I could use the computer? I have to look up a song we got requested to do."

"Yes, Joseph, about that…" Mom started hesitantly, as if wanting to find the best way to word it. She then shook her head and grabbed me by the wrist, bringing me to the kitchen, where a large box and a smaller box were sitting on the table.

"What-?" I started to ask, frowning and moving towards the table.

"A laptop and iPhone, both for you, honey. Your father and I have been saving up to really treat you, ever since we knew about the move. And, well, this is just part one of the treat," Mom said, that sweet smile of hers back on her face.

"Part one?" I exclaimed. "Mom, this is- this is amazing, it's too much to start with, and now you say there's more?"

"Joseph, as you know, my job that pays very well, and your father has been getting quite a lot of sales since we've gotten here, so we figured it was a good enough time."

_Time for what?_ I had been tempted to ask, but was cut off by an unfamiliar car horn out front. My mom's smile only widened.

"NO!" I said in disbelief, running towards the front door.

There, parked in the driveway, was a new car. When I say new, I mean new to my ownership, not brand new. It was a black Volkswagen Polo. My dad climbed out of the driver's seat and tossed me the key.

"It's all yours, Joseph," he said.

I stared in disbelief at the key cradled in my palm.

"This is too much, Mom, Dad," I said once again, still somewhat at a loss for words.

"It isn't, son. You've been such a great son when others might have been disrespectful or full-out ran away. You've stuck around and never once complained about anything, and this is our way of showing our gratitude. Now, here's the real important question-"

I looked back up at him, anticipating the worst.

"Where are you gonna take this baby for your first drive?" my dad said, once again plastering that smile across his face.

"Is it alright if I go to Quinn's? I'd promised her I'd let her know once I'd gotten a phone, plus she can help me get some music on my laptop! If that's alright with you guys, that is. I know I just came back, but, yeah…" I trailed off, not really knowing where to go after that.

"That's fine, Joseph! How about I phone them up and see if they actually want to come over for dinner, and you can go pick them up? In the future, we'll just walk in between the houses; it's just that you can do this for your first drive."

With that, we all went inside and Mom made a call to Judy, filling her in on what had happened since I'd gotten back and inviting them over. In the meanwhile, I'd turned on the phone, which had already been set up and was getting used to everything, and the laptop was plugged into the wall socket beside me, charging up while it went through the initial setup.

"Okay, Joseph, do you want to go pick up Judy and Quinn in about half an hour? Just the time for them to get ready, you know," Mom asked me once she'd finished talking to Judy.

"Sure thing, Mom," I told her, setting up my computer with our house's internet connection.

Once I finished doing all that, I shut the lid to the laptop, letting it charge as I pocketed the phone, which had been lying on the living room coffee table. I grabbed the lanyard with the new house and mail keys and clipped my car key on there, pocketing that with the lanyard hanging down out of my jeans.

* * *

><p>When the time came, I went outside and climbed into the car, adjusting my seat and rear-view mirror to my liking, putting on my seat belt and turning the key in the ignition, hearing the gentle purr of the engine starting. I grinned madly. I had just finished my Driver's Education stuff before the move, so really I just needed to find a time to take my driving test so I could get my full permit. Maybe I could book that online!<p>

I pulled up behind Quinn's car in the driveway, turning the car off, jumping out and jogging up to the front door, pressing the doorbell.

"Mom! Joe's here!" I heard Quinn call from the other side of the door, before she opened it.

She looked stunning. Her bob was styled in a kind of wavy way, and she wore a nice green dress that matched her eyes beautifully and a little white cardigan over top of it with some nice ballet flats.

"You look really nice," I said honestly, grinning.

"Thank you, Joseph," she said, smiling widely, my full first name rolling beautifully off her tongue. She gave me a once-over, "you don't look too bad, yourself."

I glanced down at what I was wearing: a dark cardigan over top a loose-fitting t-shirt, along black jeans, complete with my sandals, and my dreads pulled back into a ponytail of sorts.

"Whatever you say, Ms. Fabray," I droned off, then my face light up. "Hey! That totally rhymed!"

She just rolled her eyes as we walked over to my car.

"Nice ride," she said appreciatively. I opened the passenger door for her, motioning her inside. "Ooh, what a gentleman!" she said with an over-done tone of surprise.

I waggled my eyebrows quickly at her before closing the door and holding the backseat one open for Judy, who'd just come out.

"Oh, what a gentleman you are, Joseph," she said warmly.

"Yeah, Quinn was just finished saying the same thing," I said, laughing slightly.

I drove them over to our house and my parents were sitting there in the seats on the porch, and my mom went ballistic once Judy had climbed out, running down the stairs and hugging Judy, with them trying to talk to one another at the same time, their voices overlapping. I simply led Quinn to my dad, who stood there shaking his head and laughing at how his wife had suddenly changed now that she was reunited with Judy.

"Dad, this is Quinn, Judy's daughter. I have a few classes with her, she gave me a tour of the school on my first day, and we're on the God Squad together," I told him, as he shook Quinn's proffered hand.

"God Squad?" my dad asked.

"Yes, the school's Christian group," Quinn said with a smile. She knew what Dad did, so she wasn't surprised when his face lit up at those words.

"I'm proud of you, son. You're at school for one day, and you've already found and joined the Christian group," he said warmly, he then turned to Quinn. Uh oh, I knew that face. He was all business now. "Now, Quinn, do you know if your- ah- _God Squad_ needed any copies of the Holy Bible? Any specific publications?"

"Well, it would be great to have a few copies around for meetings that are specifically the club's property as opposed to bringing some in from home from time to time," she replied sweetly, and my dad's smile came back.

"Well, I can cut you a bit of a deal because you are friends with Joseph, here," he told her, slinging an arm around my shoulders.

"Oh, Quinn! I got a phone and laptop! I was hoping you'd be able to recommend some music for me to put on it, if it's no trouble?" I asked a little timidly.

"Sure!" she replied, grinning as I led her inside to the living room, where my laptop was plugged in.

I sat down on the couch and opened the lid of the laptop, putting it down on the coffee table again. Quinn plopped down beside me as the desktop came up. I then handed it to her and she pulled up the web browser and went to the Apple site. She got iTunes downloading and pulled up a Word document and started typing down a bunch of names of songs.

"This is just a preliminary list, stuff you may or may not like. You look like you might really like some rock, so I'm putting a bit of everything as far as rock goes, except I am _not_ going to get you into heavy metal or screamo or any of those other really heavy rock. Some of these are as far as I'm taking you with rock."

* * *

><p>We spent the next while going through the list she'd made and listening to the songs on YouTube, downloading the ones I'd liked off the internet. Once we'd finished, she grabbed my iPhone off of the coffee table and fiddled around with it for a little bit, at one point dragging me over to get a picture of the two of us. When she was done, she handed it over to me and I saw a filled out contact profile for her, complete with our picture.<p>

"That's a pretty awesome picture," I said appraisingly.

"It's obviously because I'm in it," she shot back drily. I looked at her and frowned, before her serious mask broke out into clear, tinkling laughter.

"You should've seen your face!" she said, doubled over with laughter.

"That's just plain mean," I said, shaking my head.

The next day, we met up with Sam and Mercedes after school for God Squad, and I'd once again brought my guitar with me and we arranged our little performance of 'Stereo Hearts', which we were going to perform for Valentine's Day on Friday.

"Joseph, you have a _really_ nice voice," Mercedes said with genuine praise.

"Yeah, it's got this really rock and roll vibe to it," Sam added, nodding with approval.

"You should consider joining Glee club!" Quinn exclaimed. "You'd have to have an audition song ready, though."

I thought about it, "I'll wait until I've found a good song to audition with."

"Well, we've got Regionals next week, so you might want to wait until after that, because it would be hard to have you join and then have a week to learn the songs and dances for the songs and then right off the bat compete," Mercedes said cautiously.

"No, that's a good idea," I replied brightly. "Gives me more time to find the right song!"

With that, we ended the meeting and I drove back home with Quinn, who I drove and who wanted to hang out for a bit before her mom came back from work.

"So, you honestly have no ideas for songs you could do?" Quinn asked me as we were sitting in the living room, me strumming the occasional random chord from 'Stereo Hearts'.

"Nope. It all depends what kind of message I want to get across with my audition, what I want to showcase to Mr. Shooter or whatever his name is," I said, vocalizing my uncertainty.

Quinn laughed, "_Schuester_, Joe."

"It's a weird name," I mumbled defensively.

She laughed again.

"Well, go grab your laptop, we can listen to a few and maybe make a little 'shortlist' for you to pick from!" she said.

"Righteous!"


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N**

**This is _random-gleekV_'s next Quinn chapter**

* * *

><p><strong>Quinn's POV<strong>

I hung out with Joe for the next while. We listened to music. I think Joe enjoyed that. Every new song I played, his face lit up and he paid attention to every lyric and chord and beat. Pretty soon, Joe had his own genre of music. He was fond of pop and top 100 type of songs and then a few older songs if it had a good tune, he'd also gotten quite fond of the rock I'd shown him, as well.

"If you are gonna join New Directions, you better know that we sing a lot of oldies" I said.

"Like how old?"

"Like Journey all the time" I said with a chuckle. "One time Puck tried to suggest Cee Lo Green's new song and Mr. Schue wouldn't hear it. He is a huge Journey fan. The first year of New Directions, we were going to do a Journey song at Sectionals but that got stolen and so we ended up doing a whole Journey medley at Regionals. I think we did like four songs."

Joe laughed. "Maybe I'll go listen to some of their songs."

"Oh, no you don't" I said warningly. "If you do and you like them and then you join New Directions, between you and Mr. Schue, we'll never get to do another song."  
>I stayed there for a while and left when both Joe and I decided that if I didn't, we'd both fail school for not doing our homework.<p>

* * *

><p>So in three days, it'll be Valentine's Day. As much as I'm not really the type to fawn over silly little heart cards or cupid stickers, I was excited. I mean, first off, everyone was happy. Unless you're one of those people who hate Valentine's because you're single and think that all the happy couples you see are just there to mock you. I am single, but I don't hate it. I mean, I made it quite clear a few weeks ago how I am perfectly fine to be date-less now that I'm going to Yale. I don't need a man in my life now... right?<p>

Anyways, so we had gotten our first God Squad singing job. From Finn to Rachel. And today was the day that we were gonna sing it. I was excited because we had practiced a few times and it was sounding pretty great. Sam was a pretty good rapper and Joe was a great singer. And for someone who just learned the song three days ago, he was playing it great. And Mercedes' church choir were going to make the song so much better!  
>Oh, yes. Party. Sugar Motta, the rich tone-deaf girl in New Directions, is having a huge Valentine's Day bash at Breadstix. Everyone is invited. But we have to bring a date. I think that's just ridiculous. Sugar can't make me date someone. I'd ask Joe to come as friends, but I wouldn't want to scare him or make him uncomfortable. After all, the only people he really knows are Sam, Mercedes and me. So after some consideration, I decided to skip out on the party. I mean, my couch, the TV and a bowl of popcorn can be just as fun.<p>

* * *

><p>It's lunch. We're all on the steps at school. It's show time. I see Joe, smiling. He has his guitar and is talking with Sam. I see Rachel coming over. Mercedes had told her to come at this time. I don't think she knows why. Maybe that's why she was so surprised when Sam and Joe started singing. Speaking of Rachel, she and Finn told the rest of New Directions that they're engaged. Apparently Kurt and Mercedes knew too. I still don't support them, but I highly doubt I can convince them otherwise. It's their life. All I know is that I'm not alone. Kurt doesn't support them either.<br>It was a great performance and Joe nailed it. I was really proud of him for doing this. Most new kids would shy away for a while. Just look at Sam for example. Last year, it took him a while to be comfortable with public songs and New Directions!  
>Anyways, during the awesome song, I kept noticing that Santana was giving us funny looks. Devious, almost. And then, when the song ended, we all found out why. Santana marched up and handed us ten dollars so we could sing to Brittany. Finally, I understood. I knew that Mercedes and Sam and I would be okay with it all, but Joe was a whole other story. I managed to make eye contact with him. He had a blank look in his eyes. So I tried to give an encouraging smile. He gave me a small smile back, but I don't think it was genuine.<p>

* * *

><p>In English, I saw less of Joe. The stupid teacher put us in a seating plan and Joe and I are totally on separate sides of the room. So I only saw him for a bit before and then after class when we walked to our lockers.<p>

"God Squad meeting now," I said with a smile as we left the English room.

"Can't wait," Joe said. "I really liked singing today!"

"You were so good," I said with a smile.

"Thanks!" Joe said. "I kinda owe it all to you. Without you, I wouldn't have joined God Squad or even known how to download the song."

I laughed. "You're welcome."

Joe nodded and we went to our lockers. We met back up three minutes later and walked to the God Squad meeting.

"Quinn?" Joe asked, looking over.

"Mhmm?" I murmer.

"Who was that girl who wanted us to sing to her girlfriend?" Joe asked quietly.

"She's Santana. And her girlfriend is Brittany," I answered with a small smile. "They're in New Directions and on the Cheerios. They used to be my best friends, too."

Joe paled a bit. "Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to..."

I smiled. "Relax. It's okay. They're still my friends, but we're not as close."

Joe nodded wordlessly. I could tell he was thinking hard. We walked into the room where Sam and Mercedes already where. We sat down and Mercedes picked up the gavel and slammed it down on the desk.

"All right guys, we have to have a discussion to figure out what the God Squad feels about singing to gay people," Mercedes said slowly.

"Well, three of us are in Glee club so we pretty much sing to gay people all the time," Sam pointed out.

"Listen, I know we're okay with it, but Joe may not be," Mercedes said, tilting her head to Joe.

Joe looked up at the sound of his name. "I try my best not to judge people, but honestly, I never met anyone who is gay."

"Oh, I guarantee you have" I said with a smile.

"Yeah," Mercedes agreed. "They say that one out of every ten people are gay. And if that's true that means that one of the 12 Apostles might have been gay and my guess is Simon, because that name's the gayest."

"The bible says it's an abomination for a man to lay down with another man, but we share tents in Cub Scouts and slept next to each other all the time. So that would make Cub Scouts an abomination," Sam said slowly.

"You know what else the bible says is an abomination?" I jump in. "Eating lobster, planting different crops in the same field, giving someone a proud look! Not an abomination? Slavery. Jesus never said anything about gay people, that's a fact."

"Well, maybe he wanted to, but he didn't want to hurt Simon's feelings," Sam said.

We all rolled our eyes.

"You guys, we have to figure out where we stand. Especially if we're going to be asking volunteers from my church to sing backup for us. Now I don't want to hurt Santana's feelings, but I also don't want to make someone do something they're not comfortable with," Mercedes said. She looked at Joe. "So Joe, where do you stand?"

We all looked at Joe, who looked nervous.

"I guess I gotta think about it," he said as he leaned on his guitar.

"You know what?" I asked, stepping in. "That's totally fair. You have to look at the hard topics and dilemmas and be honest and truthful. If you ask me, that's what being Christian is really about."

We left the meeting at that. We didn't want to pressure Joe into anything. We packed up our things and left the room. Joe walked alongside me, but he was quiet. I knew he was thinking things through.

"Do you want a drive home?" I asked. Joe had taken his skateboard to school this morning. He had said that even though he loved his new car, he still liked taking his skateboard on nice days.

Joe looked at me. "S-sure, thanks."

"No problem," I said and we walked outside, to my car.

The drive home was silent. My mind went blank and I couldn't think of a topic to bring up. So I drove in silence. When I pulled into Joe's driveway, I stopped the engine. I'm not sure why.  
>Joe didn't notice. He turned and looked at me.<p>

"What do you think?" Joe asked suddenly. He turned and looked at me.

"About?"

"The whole singing thing," Joe said slowly. "I trust your judgement."

I sighed. "But you don't trust your own. That's why you're asking me."

Joe looked away as if he was ashamed.

"This is your choice. No one's forcing you to do anything. Be comfortable with your choice," I said gently.

"Can't you just tell me where you stand?" Joe asked.

I looked at him. He looked like he was on the edge of tears. This was clearly bothering him more than it should.

"Do you really want me to?"

"Yes," Joe nodded. "I trust you."

I sighed again. "I have no problem with gay people. Kurt, you met him at lunch the other day, is a good hearted person who went through a lot of heck. Blaine, his boyfriend, is a sweet guy. Both of them are great people who are just plainly in love. And Santana and Brittany are the same. They're still people. In the entire school, Glee club is probably the only place they're accepted and I think that's a great thing. I have nothing against gay people, but I think that perhaps if I never joined New Directions, I may. Not from the religion perspective, but from the mean head cheerleader that I was."

Joe kinda stared at me as I finished my speech. Like he was scared of me or something.

"Joe?" I asked slowly, when he still hadn't responded.

"Sorry" Joe blushed a bit. "I was just thinking. You've given me a lot to consider."

"Well, I don't want to pressure you," I began but Joe shook his head.

"You didn't. I asked you and you answered. Thank you, Quinn," Joe said, giving me a large smile.

"Now get outta my car!" I said with a grin.

"Fine...pushy!" Joe joked and grabbed his guitar, backpack and skateboard, fumbling to hold it all.

He shut the door and I rolled down the window. "I don't see why you don't bring a shopping cart to school to hold all that stuff. Plus, you can ride it to and from school!"

"Shopping cars are so lame," Joe retorted. "I was thinking more along the lines of golf cart!"

I laughed and drove off, giving Joe a smile. Joe waved and watched me drive off.

* * *

><p>The next day at school, Joe came up to me. He had a serious face on, which worried me.<p>

"I thought about it a lot," Joe said. "And I've come to a decision."

"Oh?"

"What you said about them being people too was really true and love is love no matter how you spin it," Joe said. "So, yes, I want to sing to Sandra and Bethany."

I giggled. "It's Santana and Brittany" I correct.

Joe blushed. "Ooops."

"Well, you can tell Mercedes and Sam today at our God Squad meeting" I said.

Joe nodded. "I will. Oh! Yesterday, I was on YouTube and I came across this singer. She's so great! Um...what's her name...Oh, yes, Taylor Swift. Have you heard of her?" Joe looked all proud of his discovery.

I laughed. "Yes, everyone knows of her."

"Righteous!" Joe smiled as we walked to Science class.

* * *

><p>When Joe announced that he is okay with singing to Santana and Brittany, Mercedes said that we should sing it at Sugar Valentine's Day party. Sam nodded at that, but I can tell he just wants to side with Mercedes because he loves her and is in a bit of a fight for her between him and Shane. Anyways, Joe agreed to the party thing too. I don't think he's ever been to a party before, so he was excited.<p>

"What song are we going to sing?" Sam asked.

"What about a mash-up?" Mercedes suggested.

"A what up?" Joe asked with a blank stare.

"A mash-up is where we take two songs that go together well and combine them," I explained.

"What songs?" Sam asked.

"Well, I was thinking 'Cherish' by Madonna and 'Cherish' by The Association," Mercedes said.

"I didn't understand a single word of that," Joe said.

"I like that idea!" Sam exclaimed with a smile.

"And Quinn, I was thinking you'd sing lead," Mercedes continued, looking at me with a grin.

"Me?" I ask, pointing to myself. Why me?

"Yeah, you'll be great!" Mercedes said.

"I dunno, guys," I said. "I wasn't planning on going to Sugar's party."

"What? It's going to be the social event of the season!" Sam said. "Or at least that's what Kurt said, anyways."

I smile. "Yeah, but Sugar said you need a date and I don't want to just pick up some guy..." My voice trailed off. I could feel Joe's eyes on me.

"Naw, as the God Squad, we are performers at the event so we don't need a date," Mercedes said.

"Come on, Quinn. You have to come!" Joe said suddenly.

I looked at him, surprised that he said that.

Joe blushed a bit but continued. "It'll be fun! Please?"

"Can't we just sing Santana and Brittany's song tomorrow during lunch or something?" I asked.

"No," Sam said with a smirk.

I threw my hands up in the air. "Fine. I'll go to the party."

"Yay!" Mercedes clapped her hands.

* * *

><p>Valentine's Day came faster than you'd know. Rachel and Finn were overly kissy today. Everyone was together and happy. Well, except Kurt and that was because Blaine was still recovering.<br>Word of Sugar's party had spread and I think everyone was looking forward to it.

"Hey Quinn," Joe said, stopping me in the hallway.

"Hello Joseph," I quipped.

Joe rolled his eyes. "Anyways, so you are coming to the party tonight, right?"

"I suppose I have no choice," I said.

**"Great!" Joe beamed. "Do you um...maybe...want to uh..."**

"Spit it out, come on," I said with a smile as Joe stuttered through his words.

"Carpool?" Joe finally said, looking at me with wide eyes.

I smiled. "Sure."

"Okay. So I'll pick you up at six?"

"Okay then," I nodded.

"Um...do you actually know where this place is? Because I have no idea" Joe said.

I rolled my eyes. "Oh, I see how it is. When you asked to carpool, you really meant 'How about if I drive and you tell me where to go so I don't get lost and look like a loser when I show up two hours late'. Is that right? You're just using me for my knowledge, huh, Joe?"

Joe blushed and laughed. "Not at all!"

I laughed. "See you later. I gotta find Tina."

"Okay, bye!" Joe waved and watched me walk off. Was it just me or did he look a bit disappointed?

* * *

><p><strong>AN**

**Heyy! So there we have 2 more chapters. As for a next update, a date is not set. We both have crazy busy weeks so there is no promises. But we hope to get it by next Monday at the latest. And just a heads up, we will be at the part where 'Heart' ends and 'On My Way' starts and ends. Beacuse we want to post before April 10th, our stories may not follow the actual Glee show regarding Quinn's accident. We will deffo try to match it up as best as possible, but soon it will get to the point where we update faster than episodes air so we hope you like our version. :) LOVE YOU ALL!**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N**

**Hiya! Here is the next Joe chapter by the brill _Zemmamma777_**

**Enjoy! :)**

* * *

><p><strong>Joe's POV<strong>

I swung by Quinn's later that night, sporting a cardigan, t-shirt and jeans, my dreads pulled back into a ponytail. She looked absolutely beautiful in a striped pink dress, her bangs pulled back and the ever-present cross charm around her neck.

"Hello there, Joseph," she quipped.

"Good evening, Ms. Fabray," I replied in an exaggerated English butler voice. "Where to?"

"Oh, well I thought we could make a little pass by this quaint little restaurant called 'Breadstix'. Rumour has it, there's quite the shindig going on there!" she shot back in an amazing English accent.

"Hmm, I'm afraid I am unfamiliar with the location of this wondrous place, would you be ever so kind as to direct me to it?"

"Oh, why _certainly_, old chap!"

We both doubled over laughing.

I started up the car and wiped away a tear of laughter, "I have a feeling that if anybody who was British heard that, they'd kill us for how stereotypical we were being right there!"

"Well, I don't know about killing," she drawled in her accent.

She kept giving me the directions in that drawling upper-class English accent, and when we pulled up to the legendary Lima restaurant, I couldn't help but stand there for a moment and process my first sight of the place.

"What do ya think?" she asked, sidling up to me with a smile on her face, surveying my facial expression.

"I _honestly_ don't know what to think of it. I mean, there's part of me that's ever-so-slightly disappointed after all this stuff I've heard about it, and another part of me's in wonder because I haven't really ever seen anything like this before!"

"Well, that, _sir_, is a _very_ serious predicament you find yourself in. We shall have to resolve that!" she said, once again slipping into her accent.

"Stop it!" I wheezed out with laughter as she led me into the restaurant.

We had arrived about a half-an-hour before the party was going to start, and the restaurant was still serving customers, so we wisely sobered up once we actually got in. That is, until she snorted out her withheld laughter, so I gently put my arm across her back and steered her towards the podium a few feet away, where a very perplexed employee was staring at us with wide eyes.

"Hi there, we are Joseph Hart and Quinn Fabray, we're part of the McKinley High God Squad, which is performing here for the party later on," I announced while Quinn had her back turned, trying to calm down.

"Ah, yes, right this way," he said, spinning around and marching towards the back of the restaurant. I turned to Quinn and set my arm on my hip, offering for her to loop her arm around mine for us to go to our destination. I raised my eyebrows and made a very 'upper-class' face at her and she complied.

When we got to the back, we saw Sam and Mercedes there, and the employee showed us to a little anteroom where we did a quick little run-through of the song. We had decided at the meeting to not mention that we were going to perform at Santana's request, feeling that we wanted to make it a surprise for her. They wanted me to introduce it all.

Before long, we heard Sugar making her little speech.

"And now, from heaven above, give it up for the God Squad!" she announced, and we walked out.

I grabbed a mike. "Hi, my name's Joe. Santana Lopez asked me if the God Squad could sing a love song for Brittany S. Pierce and after thinking and praying about it, I knew there was only one right answer: absolutely. Love is love, man. So here's for Brittany, from Santana."

I loved seeing Santana smile when I said that, knowing I'd done the right thing. A few cheers followed my speech as a quickly made my way back to the stage.

Quinn sounded absolutely angelic singing the lead and I had a blast singing with them. We got up wandered a little until we went back to the stage, with Santana and Brittany slow-dancing in front of us, along with several other couples, all in their own little worlds. I wonder what that'd be like. We finished up the song and I went and grabbed a seat at an empty table while the others talked with some of their Glee club friends.

I didn't want to intrude on that, despite it having been about a week that I've been at McKinley and there was a slight mutual knowledge of the 'who's who' going on. I was brought out of my thoughts when someone sat opposite me.

"Joe, right?" the brown-haired giant asked. "Finn Hudson," he added, extending his hand.

"Yeah, pleasure to officially meet you, man!" I said.

"Thanks, and ditto. You know, you did a great job up there. You have a nice voice, Rachel was saying the same thing after she heard the singing telegram you guys did for her. You should totally join Glee club!"

"Yeah, Quinn's talked to me about that. I'd love to, man, I'm just trying to find the right song to kinda… _showcase_ myself and what I bring to the table, you know?" I said hesitantly, looking at him to see if what I said made sense.

"Oh, yeah, I hear ya man!" Finn replied enthusiastically.

At that moment, music came on and Finn craned his head.

"Well, I have to go meet up with Rachel, so… see ya!" and with that Finn leapt up and into the dancing throng of students.

I wasn't alone for long, as Quinn came up to the table, a huge grin on her face.

"You look so lonely over here, Joey! Come on and dance!" she said over the music.

"_Joey_? That's your new little 'pet name'? And I don't know…" I finished uncertainly.

"Yeah, I kinda like it," she stated simply, jumping forward, grabbing my hand and dragging me to my feet.

I decided to co-operate with her, and she held my hand aloft as she led me through the crowd. We stopped in what I assumed was the heart of the crowd and she spun around to face me and began dancing.

I stood there, shuffling awkwardly for a bit.

"Oh, loosen up, mop-head!" she shouted, laughing.

I gave a little shrug and let myself get carried away by the music, my body moving along with it.

"There ya go!" Quinn said appreciatively, moving a little closer.

Some few seconds later, she stepped a little closer and snaked her arms loosely around my neck, still moving to the beat. My hands went to her hips by some deeply ingrained instinct and we sat there for a bit, moving and in our own little world.

I'm sure it was longer than that, but it seemed that the moment we started dancing like that, the song ended, and we both hesitated a little bit before separating to applaud the performance.

* * *

><p>Later that night, when all the festivities had petered out, I was driving back with Quinn in the passenger seat; her legs tucked up beneath her and her head leaned against the window, asleep. I pulled up to her house, and went around to her side, carefully opening the door and undoing her seatbelt, pulling her into my arms and gently kicking her door closed.<p>

I walked up to the front door and rang the door bell. Judy came and answered it almost immediately.

"Hi there Joseph, how was it?" she asked. "Is Quinnie alright?"

"Hey, it was great! She's just tired, she danced a lot tonight and fell asleep as soon as she sat down in the car."

"Oh, okay. Well, why don't you come in and you can bring her up to her room," Judy suggested, standing back and holding the door open.

I kicked off my sandals and started slowly going up the stairs, minding that I didn't bump Quinn into anything. I spotted the room that just had to be hers, judging by the décor, so I went in and slowly set her down on her bed, tucking her in.

She looked so sweet and angelic asleep. Not that she didn't look it when she was awake, it was just more obvious now.

"G'night, Q," I whispered, leaning forward and giving her a light kiss on her forehead, before tiptoeing out of the room and back to the hallway, where Judy stood with her arms crossed, smiling.

"Thank you very much, Joseph," she said, walking up and giving me a hug.

"Any time, ma'am," I replied, returning the hug.

She pulled away. "Say hi to your mother for me, will you?"

"For sure!"

* * *

><p>My phone buzzed at 10:21 am the next day, with it displaying a new text from Quinn.<p>

_'Hey Joey! Thanks soooo much for tucking me in last night! My mom told me that was you! :D You know you could've just woken me up, right? :P'_

I smiled and replied.

_'Haha, no problem, Q. And I'd have felt guilty about waking you up! You looked out for the count and nicely settled into your sleep! Waking you might have done more harm than good! And what's with these ':D' and ':P' things? They make no sense!'_

I didn't have to wait long for the reply.

_'True, and I appreciate it! :) And they're 'emoticons'! Little faces that express things like smiling or joking, that kinda thing. That way, you get a better sense of the way someone's saying something, instead of having to guess whether they're serious or joking. Just tilt your head to the left, look at them, and you'll see it! XD'_

I did as she told me and found out she was right.

_'THAT IS SO COOL! You do know I'm going to become addicted to this, right? :P'_

* * *

><p>The next school week went by without any real incident, just Quinn and I hanging out as per usual, and then on Saturday, there was the Regionals competition for the Glee club. I got there early and grabbed a good spot in the auditorium, popping in the earphones to my phone and listening to music while getting a head start on my homework for the weekend, all the while trying to pick out a good song to audition with for the Glee club. After a while, the competition started and there were some <em>wicked<em> acts on, but best of all was our Glee club, who hit it out of the park! I'm so happy they won, because if I'm able to get in, I'll have a chance to compete with them at Nationals!

I quickly visited them afterwards and gave Quinn a huge hug.

"Congratulations, Q!" I told her. "Hey, did you want to, possibly, if you had time, if it's totally alright with you, ummm, hang out once you're done here?"

"That was a long stall to ask to hang out," she remarked, laughing, but then adopting a sympathetic look. "But I can't, I'm so sorry, Joe. I'm going to Finn and Rachel's wedding afterwards and I have to go back home to get my dress, get ready, and got there, so no time, sorry."

"It's all cool!" I exclaimed, trying to get some semblance of non-chalance into my voice to mask my disappointment. "I'll text you tomorrow, then? I don't think you want me bothering you when you're at the ceremony, do you?"

"I wouldn't mind, personally, but I have a sneaking suspicion that Finn and Rachel might," she joked. "See ya!"

My drive back was uneventful, but it was once I got back that that changed.

I had gone for a while to go grab a cup of coffee from the Lima Bean, which Quinn had also showed to me one day after school, sipping it patiently and just hanging around. I decided to finally go back home, pulling into the driveway and bounding up the front steps and in through the door.

"Joseph? Is that you? Are you alright?" My mom said, coming into view and her face visibly tear-streaked.

"Yeah, I'm fine, Mom. What's the matter?" I asked suspiciously.

"Honey, it's Quinn. She got into a car accident on the way to the wedding!" Mom said, sobbing uncontrollably and wrapping her arms around me.

I stood there in shock. It almost felt like my insides dropped down two feet. My arm shot out to the wall beside me, bracing myself against it as I felt like my legs were going to give out at any moment.

"Where is she now?" I asked in a hollow voice, my eyes beginning to sting with tears.

"Lima General Hospital, it's on the main road," she said.

With that, I turned back out and bolted to my car, pulling out and heading out as fast as I could within the limit and respecting the rules of the road. It wouldn't do much good to get in a car accident on my way to go visit Quinn. Once I got there, my hands fumbled for the lock button on my key and I broke out into a dead sprint once I heard the chirp that signalled my car being locked.

I slid to a stop in front of the front desk.

"Quinn Fa-Fabray, car accident," I managed to wheeze out.

"3rd floor," the receptionist told me. I went over to the elevator, pressing the button to call it, jamming it incessantly in an attempt to get it there faster.

Once one came, I closed the doors immediately, getting it going and jumping up and down to pass the time as it slowly ascended.

I strode up to the desk there and repeated my query from downstairs.

"Down that hall for the automotive incidents waiting room."

I muttered a quick word of thanks and ran to the indicated waiting room. There sat several of the Glee club members, all looking terribly distraught. I caught a reflection of myself in the window to a nearby room. I didn't look any better with puffy red eyes and some of my dreads flopped over the top of my head.

I looked to Sam and Mercedes.

"Any word?" I asked.

"Externally, it's just a few scratches here and there, but it's the internal damage that they're going over right now" Mercedes said quietly.

"Joseph!" I heard Judy's voice, and looked up to see her coming out of a room down a hall on the other side of the waiting room.

I went to go talk to her, only for a nurse to step in front of me.

"I'm sorry, but only close friends and family can visit her," they said sternly.

"I _am_ a close friend; I could even count as family!" I shouted.

The nurse looked back at Judy, who nodded her acknowledgement of the truth in what I had said.

As I walked by, ready to go to Quinn's room, I was steeling myself for what I was about to see. Mercedes said that externally, it was just a few scratches. Inside. That was what might cause some problems. Even more than the exterior ones.

I crossed the threshold into the room Judy indicated and I beheld Quinn.

"Oh, Quinn," I said, covering my mouth.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N**

**Here is the next Quinn Chapter by _random-gleekV_**

* * *

><p><strong>Quinn's POV<strong>

I don't remember anything. All I know is that I woke up in pain. A lot of pain. My back hurt, my stomach hurt, my arms hurt, my neck hurt, my head hurt and my face stung. It took me a while to adjust to the bright white light. But as I opened my eyes and things came into focus, I realized that not only was there a window next to me that was letting a blinding amount of sunlight in, but everything in the room was a pale white. I looked down. I was wearing a shape-less teal gown and I was in a bed with rough beige blankets on me. I had a painful IV in my arm. I looked around slowly and tried to sit up. I guess the blankets rustled when I fidgeted because suddenly, I was aware of another presence in the room. Well, two actually.

"Quinn?" I heard. It was my mom's voice, but it sounded hollow and sad.

"Is she up?" a man's voice asked. That was undoubtedly Joe.

"I think so" my mom replied. I heard the scrape of chairs and footsteps and the next thing I know is that Joe and my mom are peering down at me with worried expressions and sad eyes.

"Quinnie, dear" my mom said slowly and touched my hand. "Are you awake?"

I blinked at her. "Yes" I said. It hurt a bit to speak.

My mom gave me a small smile and looked up at Joe. "I'm going to get a doctor. Stay with her?"

"Of course" Joe said with a nod. My mom gave my hand a light squeeze and hurried out of the room.

When she was gone, I tried to sit up again. I hurt to do so.

"Quinn, please don't" Joe said slowly, gently pushing my shoulders down. "Don't get up."

"Where am I?" I asked slowly. Joe's eyes looked sad and red. And he looked at me like I was a hurt puppy and that he was hiding something. "Why am I at the hospital?"

Joe gave me a long sad stare then pulled up a chair and sat next to my bed. "What do you remember?"

I blinked. "Regionals." It was the last thing I remembered.

Joe looked relieved a bit. "Nothing past that?"

"No. Why am I here?" I demanded quietly.

"Quinn" Joe began slowly. "Quinn, you were...you were in a...car accident."

I gasped. "What?"

Joe nodded and looked away. I think he was crying. "Yeah...on the way to Finn and Rachel's wedding...you never made it."

I started crying. I'm not sure why. I didn't remember any of it. But between the excruciating pain and Joe crying, I wanted to cry too. When Joe heard me sniff, he looked over.  
>We made eye contact, but I think tears blurred it for both of us.<br>I opened my mouth to ask another question, but my mom came rushing in, followed by a tall doctor with chin length brown hair. She had a long white lab coat on and had a clip board that she read as she followed my mom in.

"Hello Quinn" the doctor said kindly. She too, had a sympathetic look.

"Hey" I whispered. I knew that by the sad looks they all gave me and the IV in my arm and the pain I was in, something was wrong.

"Are you okay, honey?" my mom asked.

"It hurts" I said.

"What does?" The doctor asked.

"Everything" I answered.

The doctor sighed. "I'll give you some more pain killers." She grabbed a needle of liquid and put it in my IV tubes.

"Mom?" I asked, looking at my mom, who looked down at me. She pushed a stray lock of my short blonde hair away from my forehead.

"Yes?" She asked kindly.

"What happened?" I asked.

"You were in a car crash" my mom said. "It was bad. Do you remember that?"

"No."

"Well, you were. You were on your way to Rachel and Finn's wedding. You never got there. The driver of the truck who you crashed with called 911 and you were rushed here. You've been in a coma for a day" my mom said.

"Really?" I asked.

"Quinn, you are a very lucky girl" the doctor said.

"What's the damage?" Joe asked. He was sitting in a chair at the side of the room that he had moved to when the doctor came in. His guitar was on another chair and he had a large backpack with him too.

The doctor looked at Joe and then back at me. "There's a lot."

My mom started crying again. "Like what?"

The doctor pulled up a chair and folded her hands in her lap. "You see, in your body, there are these things called axons. They carry signals to and from your brain to certain parts of your body through the spinal cord. And when the spinal cord is injured, the axons won't work and the signal isn't carried, resulting in paralysis," the doctor explained, nice and slow.

"I'm paralyzed?" I gasped in horror. Life flashed before my eyes. It was ruined. How was I to live anymore? How could I cheer? Move? Perform? Go to Yale? My life was over.  
>Joe went pale and my mom sobbed harder. Tears poured from my eyes too.<p>

"Not completely" the doctor said. "You can move your arms and upper body."

That was true. I shifted my IV-free arm just to be sure.

"You're paralyzed from the waist down, but it's temporary" the doctor continued. She smiled a bit.

"So not for ever?" I asked, just to clarify. My happiness, and life, returned again. Maybe my life wasn't over after all.

"Not forever. Of course, another serious injury to your spinal cord could have a different outcome."

"How long is temporary?" Joe asked.

"Several weeks. Maybe a month or two. You need time for the nerves in your body to heal."

"Oh, thank God" I said. My mom nodded and Joe bowed his head.

"Very lucky" the doctor repeated kindly. "You also have a few broken ribs, a bunch of bruises and some scratches. But those will heal fast and sooner."

"So now what?" I asked slowly. As much as the pain was lessened, I itched to go home. The hospital smelled funny.

"Well, we want to keep you here tonight. You can go home tomorrow, but we recommend that you take it easy for the next while. You'll be in a wheel chair so getting around your daily life will be different" the doctor said.

I nodded.  
>The doctor stood up and grabbed her clip board. She gave me a smile. "You'll be fine."<p>

"Thank you" my mom said as the doctor walked toward the door.

"Call me if there's a problem. I'll be back to check in later" she said and left the room.

I sighed as she left. Joe got up and moved closer to the bed.

"Well..." my mom said slowly. "You were lucky."

I nodded.  
>My mom turned and looked at me. "Are you okay? Are you hungry? Tired?"<p>

"No, I'm fine" I said. "Well, actually, I want to sit up."

"Don't move" my mom said. She reached for a small remote and pressed a button. Slowly, with a mechanic 'whirr', my bed lifted up and tilted forward so I was sitting up.

"Better?" My mom asked and set down the remote.

"Yes, thank you" I said with a smile. I noticed Joe holding his phone and rapidly texting. "Who are you texting?"

Joe looked up. "Mercedes. She demanded I give her updates every fifteen minutes."

I chuckle. "Did Rachel and Finn end up getting married?"

Joe shook his head. "No. They were holding off for you"

"For me?"

My mom nodded. "Most of them rushed over here when they heard the news."

I sighed. "At least they're not married."

We sat in silence for a while. I could hear the 'tick tick' of Joe's phone as he typed and my mom's heavy breathing. I looked at the clock. It was five in the afternoon.

"Are you hungry?" My mom asked again.

"A bit" I said.

"Joe?" my mom looked at Joe.

"Slightly" Joe said with a shrug.

"Do you guys want food? I could go get some burgers or something?"

"I'll go" Joe volunteered.

"You sure?" My mom asked. When Joe nodded, my mother reached for her purse and pulled out a few bills and handed then to him. "Here you go. Thanks Joe."

"No problem. Be back soon" Joe said and gave me a smile. The sadness in his eyes had been replaced with worry. He grabbed his backpack and walked out of the room.

When he was gone, my mom looked at me. "Oh, Quinnie..." She sighed and gently touched my face. It hurt.

"Mom, I'll be fine" I said.

"I was so worried when I got that call" My mom said sadly. "Do you remember anything of the crash?"

"No" I said.

My mom sighed. "Your phone was found a few feet from the crash. There was a message. It said. 'ON MY WAY'"

I gulped. It all came back to me now. I began to cry.

"Quinnie, honey. What's wrong?"

"T-the message" I stuttered. "I was typing that w-when I got hit. Rachel had been texting me all frantic because I was late for the wedding and I tried to reply when I got hit."

My mom began crying harder too. "Really?"

"I'm sorry" I said, sobbing. "I'm so sorry..."

My mom and I cried for a while. Joe came back with a large bag that smelled like grease. When he saw my mom and me in tears, he got a sad look and set down the bag on a chair.

"Is...this a bad time?" Joe asked.

"No!" I said. I didn't want him to go away.

Joe carried over the bag. He pulled out three wrapped up packages and a large container of fries. They looked good.

My mom helped me unwrap my burger. The three of us ate in silence.

* * *

><p>After we ate, we talked a bit. Mostly, it was about adjusting to my new temporary life in a wheel chair.<p>

"You'll have to sleep downstairs. We can set up a make-shift room in the TV room. You're the only one who goes in there anyways" My mom said. She tried to make it sound happy and cheery, like it was a fun experience.

"I won't be able to cheer. And Coach Sylvester just let me back on the team" I said sadly. "Or dance for New Directions."

"Sure you will" My mom said. "It's just temporary. I'm sure you'll be healed by the time Nationals rolls around."

"Probably not" I huffed as a tear rolled down my cheeks.

"Oh, don't cry, honey" my mom said and very gently wiped away the tear.

"What about Archie?" Joe asked.

"Who?" My mom and I both asked, looking at Joe, who had his determined thinking look on.

"Archie...that kid at school in the wheelchair" Joe said. "You know him."

I caught on. "Artie? Artie Abrams?"

"Yeah!" Joe snapped his fingers. "He's in a wheelchair too and is in New Directions."

"Yeah, you're right" I said. I smiled. If Artie could do it, so could I! "Thank you, Joe."

Joe blushed a bit and nodded. "You can't let this stop you."

I smiled even wider. He was right. "Thanks."

"Problem solved" my mom said. "See Quinnie, you're going to be fine!"

* * *

><p>When I fell asleep, Joe and my mom left and went home. I know this because I woke up once and the room was dark and no one was in it. So I fell back asleep. I woke up again at nine. Sunlight was peeking in my window's again. This time, when I woke, I wasn't alone. My mom and Joe were there again.<p>

"Morning!" My mom smiled when she saw me awake.

"Hello" I said.

"Did you sleep well?" My mom asked.

"Yeah."

"Are you still in pain?" Joe asked.

"A bit. Not as much."

"Are you hungry?" My mom asked.

"Yes."

"Good. We brought bagels!" Joe smiled and held up a bag.

"Yum" I smiled as Joe handed me one. It had my favourite cream cheese on it and wasn't cut in half, just like my mom knows I like it. As I was eating my bagel, my mom stood up.

"I assume you want to go home, right?" She asked me.

I nodded.  
>"Okay, I'll go find the doctor" My mom said and walked out of the room, leaving me and Joe.<p>

"You again?" I rolled my eyes as Joe came over and sat in the chair next to my bed.

"Am I not allowed to visit you?" Joe asked with a blush.

"Can I call you Joey?"

"Do I have a choice?"

"Nope."

Joe laughed.

"But...thanks for coming" I said with a smile.

Joe smiled. "Of course. You gave me a real scare when my mom told me the news."

I blinked. "I'm sorry, Joey."

Joe chuckled.

I looked down at the ugly blankets that covered my legs. Under those blankets were my legs. That I couldn't use.

"What're you thinking about?" Joe asked, seeing me look at my legs.

"My legs" I mumbled.

Joe was quiet. I knew he was just being polite and not asking me any uncomfortable questions.

"I know that they're there, but... I just can't move them or feel them. It's weird, you know?" I said, glancing up Joe.

"N-no, I don't."

"No, of course not. You know when your hands or feet or something falls asleep and you can't feel it?"

Joe nodded, getting that sad look in his eyes again.

"It's like that, but it doesn't hurt. And I'm trying to move my legs. I shouldn't have to think about it. When you move your arm or whatever, it comes naturally, no thought involved. But that doesn't work so my brain is telling my legs to move...just move. And it's not...working" I said slowly, feeling my eyes sting as the tears come.  
>Joe, I guess heard me start to cry because he held out a tissue. When I took it, our fingers touched. I would swear I felt a small spark. I quickly pulled my hand away and dabbed my eyes with the tissue.<p>

"It's only temporary" Joe reminded me quietly.

"But it'll be different..."

"You won't have to face it by yourself. I -uh...we will all be there for you" Joe said.

I looked up and our eyes met. "Thank you."

"You're welcome" Joe said with a half smile.

We heard a slight cough at the doorway. The doctor was there and my mom was right behind her.

"Hello Quinn" the doctor said. "How are you feeling?"

"Better" I said.

"Okay, great" she said.

"Am I allowed to leave?" I asked hopefully.

The doctor looked at the monitor next to me and checked the IV.

"Yes, I think you'll be fine" the doctor said. "Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah" I said.

My mom had a wheel chair in her arms. She set it down right near my bed.  
>The doctor took the IV out of my arm. It hurt.<p>

"Joe" my mom said. "Would you be a dear and bring the car closer to the doors?" She held out her keys.

"Sure" Joe nodded. He grabbed his bag and the keys. "See you soon" he said to me as he left.

I sat up and pulled my legs in front of me and over the side of the bed so my feet were just above the floor. My mom picked me up awkwardly and helped me into the wheel chair. Well, this was it. My life for the next while. I wheel around them small room. It wasn't hard, but I can see why Artie wore gloves. I should get a pair.

"Quinnie, dear, I'm just going to sign you out. I'll be right back" my mom said and she hurried out of the room.

"Someone special?" The doctor asked me, with a small smirk.

"My mom?"

"No, silly. The boy with the funny hair" the doctor said. "I'd assume he was someone special because he was here the whole time, waiting for you to awake. Plus, he kept playing the same song on his guitar over and over. And as he sang, he kept looking at you."

I just kinda stared at her, trying to process the news.

"I'm sorry. I don't mean to sound like a creep" the doctor laughed.

"No, it's okay" I said, laughing for what felt like the first time in ages. "Joe...he's just a friend. I only met him like two weeks ago."

"Okay. He seems nice. Well, we'll have you come back in a week to check up. See you" she said and walked out of the room, with a smile on her face.  
>I was alone in the room. I reviewed what she just told me about Joe. My guess was that he finally found an audition song that he was just practicing...right?<p>

* * *

><p>At home, Joe and my mom helped me get up the front porch's two steps. That was a bit of a challenge. I wheeled down the hall and into the TV room. My new room. Now that I think about it, life would be so different. It would take a while to adjust.<br>Joe sat down and watched me survey the room. My mom sat down too. I guess we were all just a bit overwhelmed.  
>My mom then got up and returned with a notepad and pen.<p>

"What's that?" I asked, eyeing the pad.

"We need to make a list of things that we need to do or change to make this situation a bit more easier for you and me" my mom said. "I don't mean to scare you."

"Oh..." It was all I could say.

"Joe, you don't have to stay here if you don't want to. You came to hospital both days. You can go home, I'm sure your mom is worried about you" my mom said.

"Nah, I just texted her" Joe said. "I don't mind staying, really."

"You're a good friend, Joe" My mom said with a smile, making Joe blush. I blushed too.

* * *

><p>We talked about many things and my mom's list grew pretty long. Simple things like getting to and from classes, getting places and getting a new locker and I obviously can't reach my current one.<p>

"Um...what about my car?" I asked. "What was the damage?"

"Unsalvageable" my mom sighed.

"So I'll have to take the bus to school, right? I know Artie takes a bus, so I can probably take that one" I said. Buses were not my thing, but I didn't have much of a choice. My mom usually left for work a few minutes before me so I was responsible for getting myself to school.

"Yes, bus it is. I'll call the bus company and see what we can do about that" my mom nodded.

"No, don't do that!" Joe said. "I'll take you."

"Me?" I asked. "You want to drive me everyday to school?"

"Sure."

"Oh, no" my mom shook her head. "Joe, I couldn't ask you to commit to that every day. It wouldn't be fair."

"Please? I mean, it's not that big of extra effort" Joe said. "I'd be happy to do it."

My mom knew there was no reasoning with him. She looked at me. "What say you?"

"If he wants to" I said. I glanced at Joe. "You don't have to. Here's your chance to back out now."

Joe made a face like he was going to think about it. "Well... Of course I'll do it."

"Thanks so much, Joe" my mom smiled gratefully at him. "Now, if you excuse me, I've got calls to make. I hope Principal Figgins can help me."

She strutted out of the room, clutching her notepad.

I took my chance and wheel the chair next to the arm chair Joe sat in.

"Hey Joe" I said.

"Are you okay?" Joe asked, genuinely concerned.

I sighed. "Please don't ask me that every minute."

"Only if you swear to tell me if there is something wrong" Joe bargained.

"Fine. Now I got a question for you."

Joe looked at me, anxious for the question. "Yes?"

"A little bird told me you were singing a song over and over when I was still in a coma. What song?" I asked with a smile.

Joe blushed and averted his eyes. "It's a secret."

"Tell me, Joey" I said, trying to give him puppy eyes. I don't think it worked out very well.

"No. But you'll hear it when I sing it for my audition" Joe said, his face still red.

"Oh, now I'm really curious! Tell me, tell me, tell me!" I begged.

"No, just wait. Then you can listen" Joe gave me a smile. "I think it's a perfect song for me to sing now."

* * *

><p><strong>AN**

**Well there we go. Like I said before, we are moving ahead of Glee's progress. So as for Quinn's condition, this was all fiction (it may be true, but maybe not). We tried to keep it as real as possible, but on Glee anything is possible. So anyhoo, tell us what you think! :) We hope to get the next 2 chapters up ASAP. **

**Bye! :)**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N **

**Sup Gleeks? Here is the next Joe chapter by _Zemmamma777. _**

**Hope you like :)**

* * *

><p><strong>Joe's POV<strong>

Everyone was staring. I'm not exaggerating when I say that. _Everyone_ was staring. It was Quinn's first day back after being released from hospital, and she was navigating the halls of McKinley High under the disbelieving scrutiny of every person in the building.

"I look ridiculous," Quinn mumbled, keeping her head down, so as to not see the stares from the other students.

"No you don't, Q. You look like an angel," I quipped truthfully.

She scoffed: "Yeah right, an angel with its wings clipped, maybe."

"You're really not going to let me compliment you?" I asked in joking disbelief.

Quinn laughed: "Thank you, Joe."

"Anytime!" I said brightly.

"But seriously, I _do_ look ridiculous," she muttered.

I sped up and spun down to a crouch in front of her and she stopped.

"Quinn, don't you dare say that! You are the most beautiful girl in this school. Don't let a little thing like being in a wheel chair bring you down!" I said passionately.

"Joe, being in a wheel chair is not 'a little thing'!" she shot back. "It's a pretty big thing not getting to move as freely as everyone else!"

"Whatever, I can see I'm not going to win this, so I'll just let it be. I'm sorry if I sounded demeaning in any way, but I'm just trying to get you to see the big picture, that things aren't nearly as bad as you make them out to be," I said softly.

She smiled meekly, "_I'm_ sorry, Joseph. You're being really sweet about this and here I am burning the bridge you've made me. Not many people have the kind of optimism you have, you'd really make a great addition to the Glee club."

"Then it's a good thing I'm auditioning tonight, I presume?" I asked as I stood up again, quirking an eyebrow.

"Yes," she stated firmly. "I can't wait to see what you're going to sing!"

As if I wasn't nervous enough already!

I had talked to Mr. Schuester at lunch about auditioning for New Directions and he'd agreed to give me the chance, so now here I was, walking into the choir room after his introduction, looking up at the faces in front of me.

I recognized a few of them: Sam, Mercedes and Quinn from the God Squad; Finn and his girlfriend Rachel; then there was Brittany and Santana; Sugar Motta. Yeah, that's pretty much all the people I know there.

"So, anyways, I'll turn over the floor to Joseph Hart!" Mr. Schuester announced.

"Hey guys," I started as I slung my guitar over my shoulder. "Like Mr. Schue said, my name's Joe, some of you know me already, and yeah, I wanted to audition for the Glee Club. The song I'm about to sing is very relatable to how I felt not so long ago, so I hope you guys enjoy!"

They cheered and I readied myself, strumming the opening chords and settling into the song.

_'If I had my way,__  
><em>_I'd spend every day right by your side__  
><em>_And if I could stop time,__  
><em>_Believe me I'd try for you and I__  
><em>_And each moment you're gone,__  
><em>_Is a moment to long in my life__  
><em>_So stay right here, right now__'Cause without you I'm a disaster__  
><em>_(The moment you go)__  
><em>_And you're my ever after__  
><em>_(Just thought you should know)__  
><em>_'Cause I need to know your answer__  
><em>_(Just say you'll stay with me)__  
><em>_I want you to say you're gonna stay with me__  
><em>_(Just say you'll stay with me)__  
><em>_I die every day that you're away from me'__  
><em>

I looked up to see Quinn smiling somewhat distractedly, tears in her eyes as she watched intently._  
><em>

_'If the world ceased to spin,__  
><em>_You could start it again with just one smile__  
><em>_If the seas turn to sand__  
><em>_With the wave of your hand it would rain for miles__  
><em>_But the thought of you gone,__  
><em>_Makes everything wrong in my life__  
><em>_So stay right here, right now__'Cause without you I'm a disaster__  
><em>_(the moment you go)__  
><em>_And you're my ever after__  
><em>_(Just thought you should know)__  
><em>_'Cause I need to know your answer__  
><em>_(Just say you'll stay with me)__  
><em>_I want you to say you're gonna stay with me__  
><em>_(Just say you'll stay with me)__  
><em>_I die every day that you're away from me__My heart breaks with every beat,__  
><em>_I can't explain what you do to me__  
><em>_So just say you'll promise me,__  
><em>_Please, take me if you ever leave__  
><em>_But the thought of you gone__  
><em>_Makes everything wrong in my life__  
><em>_So stay right here, right now__'Cause without you I'm a disaster__  
><em>_(the moment you go)__  
><em>_And you're my ever after__  
><em>_(Just thought you should know)__  
><em>_'Cause I need to know your answer__  
><em>_(Just say you'll stay with me)__  
><em>_I want you to say you're gonna stay with me__  
><em>_(Just say you'll stay with me)__  
><em>_I die every day that you're away from me__So just say you'll promise me,__  
><em>_Please, take me if you ever leave__  
><em>_My heart breaks with every beat,__  
><em>_I die every day that you're away from me'_

They all clapped once I struck the final note, Quinn somewhat subdued compared to the enthusiastic applause before my performance.

"That was amazing, Joe! I think I speak on behalf of the others when I say welcome to the New Directions!" Mr. Schue said, clapping a hand down on my shoulder.

I smiled slightly as I thought. Quinn's expression, what some of the lyrics were saying… Had I overdone it?

The drive back was silent, except for Quinn thanking me when I'd gotten her in and out of the car and the goodbye. I didn't feel like sticking around too much at the moment. I was really beating myself up for having overdone it with that song (and by know I'd assured myself that I had) and felt as though I should just back off and give her some space.

I got home and went straight upstairs once I'd greeted both of my parents and told them that I'd gotten into the Glee club.

I laid down on my bed, looking up at the ceiling, deep in thought.

Was the song completely accurate? Yes.

How do I feel about Quinn, really?

That one stumped me. I thought about everything I feel when I'm around her: happiness, caring, love…

That's it, then. I love her. I love Quinn Fabray. Gosh, this is a really precarious position. Our families are so close. If things _do_ pan out, then great! If they don't, well, the dinners together could get pretty awkward.

I heard a knock on my door.

"Come in," I called out.

My mom walked in.

"Joseph, honey?" she asked, concern written all over her face, concern that was echoed in her tone of voice. "Is everything alright?"

I thought things over and picked my words carefully before proceeding.

"Yeah, things are alright… It's just… I have… _feelings_ for this girl and she was there when I sang my audition song, and I had said that it related a lot to what I'd been feeling recently. Now that I think about it, the lyrics got a little personal and now I feel I've kinda overdone things, that I've stepped too far, too soon. I meant every word of the song, and now I feel as if it's kinda… _exposed_ me a bit."

I looked up to my mom with sad eyes, looking for reassurance in the face I'd looked to so many times in the past for the very same reason.

"Well, why don't you play me the song, and I'll see about whether or not I think, from my point of view, you might have gone too far," she said warmly.

I played it for her and waited for her reaction once I'd strummed the last chord.

"You have these feelings for Quinn, don't you?" my mom asked.

I nodded, knowing there was no escape.

"Well, it's a beautiful song, and I personally don't think you've overstepped any boundaries. It is bold to sing these lyrics, but it's not in any way stepping too far too soon. Look at the friendship you have with Quinn. Now, of course, I can't assume Quinn's going to take it one way or another, but I realize that this is a particularly delicate situation."

"What should I do, Mom?"

"Give it time, sweetheart," she replied. "If Quinn wants to talk to you about it, she will. Otherwise, don't bring it up to her, and just be yourself. If you don't try to appease the situation by bringing things down to earth, then Quinn might react negatively to it, seeing how uneasy it makes you."

I nodded again, and sat forward, wrapping my arms around my mom.

"Thanks, Mom," I mumbled over her shoulder.

"No problem, dear, that's what I'm here for," she whispered kindly.

As she pulled away, she gave me a kiss on the cheek.

"Quinn's lucky to have you around," she said warmly.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N**

**Here is the newest Quinn chapter written my random-gleekV**

* * *

><p><strong>Quinn's POV<strong>

I had an issue. Well, several actually. One, my wheelchair was driving me nuts. Moving around is so hard and my arms are so dead by the time the day ends. Even doing simple things like getting a stupid bowl so I can eat stupid breakfast becomes such an impossible task. I mean, I'm not a baby and yet, my mom has to help me make breakfast. But on the plus side, I'm getting a bit of feeling back in my legs. Just a bit.

My next issue is Artie. Well, that's not really an issue. It's more like a fact. We've grown closer now that we're both in wheelchairs. And he's a nice guy too. I always looked down on him for being a nerd and a cripple. But he's actually a sweet guy with a great sense of humor. I really regret being the mean cheerleader I was because I'd still look down on people like Artie.

I guess things like my crash happen for a reason so I can see the fault of my old ways and change. God has a funny way of doing that I suppose.

My last, and maybe my most important issue, is Joe. My head is swimming with thoughts. I'm so confused. I mean, Joe Hart is my best friend. I know it's been only a few weeks, but I can safely say he is my best friend...right? And just when I think we're friends and it's all okay and maybe my life isn't falling to a million little pieces, Joe goes and sings that song for his audition. And at first, I thought it was just a song. Like a random song that works best with his voice. I mean, people can sing songs they don't mean just because it showcases their voice best. But then I noticed how he kept discreetly staring at me, as if he wasn't trying to but at the same time, was trying to. And the song was actually so beautiful and he did a good job with it too. I actually started to cry. I hope he didn't notice. And now that I think about it, he has been totally dropping hints too. Like in the hallway today when he said I was the prettiest girl in the school. He may have just been trying to make me feel better about my situation and the fact that I was being totally self conscience, but a dude just doesn't say that to a girl unless he means it. What am I going to do? I'll admit it, he is cute and I do maybe have a little crush on him, but there's too much on the line to do anything about it. We eat family dinners together like every week. That'd be so awkward if we date. And most importantly, I don't want to lose our friendship if something goes wrong. I'm not the type to think that we'll be together forever and get married and all that jazz because I know the truth. Most high school relationships won't last. And in a few months, I'll be at Yale. And where will Joe be? Lima. No, it's official. I'll keep my petty crush quiet for now. Who knows, maybe it's all just in my head?

"Bye Quinnie!" My mother shouted as she was about to leave the house.

"Wait, mom!" I yelled. "I need help!"

I heard my mom sigh as she kicked off her shoes but I clearly wasn't supposed to hear it because when she came into the kitchen, she had a smile that looked a bit too forced.

"Yes?" She asked.

"I need a plastic bag for my sandwich" I said, pointing to the cheese and ham sandwich I had just made. "And I can't reach them."

My mom nodded and opened the cupboard door and pulled out the box of plastic bags. She handed me one and then replaced the box and shut the cupboard door.

"Thanks" I said and put my sandwich in the bag and sealed it.

"Why don't you just buy your lunch?" My mom asked, looking at the juice box I had set out to take to school.

"Because today is Thursday" I said. "And Thursday is mac and cheese day in the caf. And since we got the new lunch ladies, the macaroni has been chewy and the cheese tastes like plastic."

"Gross" my mom laughed. She bent down and kissed my forehead. "I'm going now, okay?"

"Okay, see you" I said. My mom left. I looked at the clock. I had fifteen minutes before Joe would be over to pick me up. And I still needed to eat breakfast.

I took another slice of bread and put it in the toaster. I waited for a few minutes and then it popped and the room smelled like toast. I grabbed my plate and wheeled across the kitchen to the counter where the toaster was. I set my plate on my lap and reached up to take my toast slice out. The toaster was a bit too high up so I was sorta feeling my way around.

"Shoot!" I yelled to myself as my hand hit a hot piece of metal. My two fingers were red and hurt like heck. Tears welled in my eyes and I quickly wheeled to the sink. It was a bit of a reach, but I managed to get my throbbing fingers under cold water. When the pain was lessened, I turned off the tap and wrapped my fingers in paper towel. Now my hand was hard to use, but I had to go. I got my toast, without burning myself, and spread some jam on it as best I could with my left hand. I was right handed so it was that much harder but I managed to get most of the jam on my toast.

Somehow, the fact that my right hand both my legs weren't able to function was amusing, as I found myself awkwardly chuckling to no one. I looked at the clock. Seven minutes. I ate half my toast and then turned to get something to drink. Darn, I couldn't reach a glass. I wheeled to the counter and reached up as high as I could. I managed to get the cupboard door open but that was as far as possible. So I did what I had to do. I grabbed my mom's soup ladle and used that to hit some plastic cups down. It worked. Three blue glasses came tumbling down and I managed to catch one. The other two fell on the floor and out of my reach. I went to the fridge and opened it. I had to wheel back and forth to do so, but at least I could reach stuff inside. I reached up and grabbed the milk jug. I set it in my lap and held it with my right hand. I wheel back and shut the fridge door. I almost hit my head as I did so. As I dodged to avoid a head injury, the milk jug in my lap shook. I reached out my hand to grab it before I fell, but it was my burnt hand so I couldn't get a grasp on it. The milk went tumbling down landed on the floor, splashing and spilling everywhere.

I groaned and a million swear words went through my mind. The worst part was that I couldn't clean it up because I couldn't reach it. I took the roll of paper towel and ripped off pieces that I dropped on the floor to sop up the milky mess. It was all I could do. And I began to cry. It wasn't fair. I was helpless and tired and just plain mad at the world. Tears rolled down my face and I just slumped in my wheel chair. I was a mess.

The doorbell rang and the sound echoed in the house. Darn, that meant that Joe was here. I didn't move. I was a teary mess in the middle of a breakfast explosion. I stayed silent and hoped he'd leave. He rang the doorbell again. And again and again. Finally, I heard the doorknob turn and Joe slowly open the door.

"Quinn?" He asked slowly. I could hear the concern and worry in his voice. "Quinn?"

"Go away!" I yelled. It was worth a shot. My voice was raspy and angry. I was in a rage.

"Quinn? Where are you?" Joe asked, shutting the front door behind him as he came in.

"I said go away! I'm not going to school so just go!" I yelled as more tears rolled down my face. I guess Joe followed the sound of my voice down the hall because when I blinked away the tears, I saw Joe standing the entrance of the kitchen.

"What part of go away don't you get?" I growled, partly ashamed of the mess he viewed.

"Woah... What happened?" Joe asked, ignoring my words and seeing the spilled milk. Then he saw me crying. "What's wrong?"

"J-just go away" I said, not wanting to be interrogated by him.

"Quinn" he said, stepping over the spill to squat down in front of me.

I closed my eyes. I couldn't face him.

"Why are you crying?" He asked. I opened one eye and saw him glance down at the milky mess. "You can't cry over spilled milk, you know."

I smiled a bit. "I think I'll skip out on school today" I mumbled.

"Nice try" Joe smirked. "Now tell me why it looks like you wrestled with your breakfast."

Again, I cracked a small smile. I held up my poorly bandaged hand. "I burnt my hand trying to get my toast, which I had trouble putting jam on. Then I dropped the cups because I couldn't reach them up there and then when I was getting milk I almost hit my head with the fridge door and when I swerved to dodge it, the milk spilled and I couldn't clean it so I just dropped paper towel down. And I just got so frustrated because I can't do anything by myself anymore."

Joe was holding back a chuckle, I could tell.

"So in closing, I'm not going to school, I'd rather just wallow in my misery here alone" I said firmly.

"No way" Joe shook his head. "We're going to get you cleaned up then you are coming to school."

Joe stood up and smiled warmly at me. I nodded. I wheel forward to the table, shoved the last of my cold toast in my mouth and wiped the table of crumbs and jam. I took my plates to the sink and when I turned around, Joe had cleaned up the mess of milk.

"See? All clean!" Joe announced with a proud grin.

"Thank you" I said. I took a tissue and got rid of the tear stains on my cheeks and fixed my hair, using the microwave as a mirror.

"Ready to go?" Joe asked gently.

I took a deep breath. "I guess."

Joe wordlessly wheeled me out the door, stopping only so I could grab my backpack from the hook. Out by his car, he lifted me out of my wheelchair. He'd done this several times now, so I wasn't worried that he'd drop me anymore. He set me in the passenger seat of his car and then went to his side as I folded up my wheelchair, put it in the back seat and shut the door. Joe got in the car and started the engine.

"Are you okay?" Joe asked, as he drove. I noticed that he refrained from eye contact.

"Yeah."

"Okay..." Joe said as if he didn't believe me.

I turned my head and stared out the window. I felt tears in my eyes again and I didn't want Joe to see.

Minutes past and the next thing I knew, we were at the school. Joe parked the car and pulled out the keys.

He turned to look at me and then grabbed the car door handle, about to open it.

"Wait!" I said before he opened the door. He jumped a bit, clearly surprised, but turned to look at me with those warm brown eyes.

"Yes, good chap?" Joe asked a British accent, our long running joke. But he gave a straight face when I didn't smile or respond.

I took another deep breath then I turned and threw my arms around Joe's neck, pulling him into a hug. I rested my head on his shoulder and I felt him awkwardly hug me back.

"Thank you" I said slowly, my voice muffled by his dreads.

"For what?" Joe asked, although I think he knew.

"For helping me this morning at my house and helping me into the car again. If you weren't so stubborn and caring and left when I told you too, I'd still be crying in the kitchen. I don't know what I'd do without you. Thanks Joey" I said, hugging him tightly. I felt his arms around me relax a bit.

"You're welcome but you don't need to thank me. I'm glad to help you and you don't need to get frustrated with this whole thing. You're not by yourself. As Zac Effron and crew said, 'We're all in this together'" Joe said.

I pulled back from the hug and groaned with a smile. "Are you serious? High School Musical?"

Joe blushed and nodded.

"I thought you didn't have a TV" I pointed out.

"Yeah, at my old church we had a Youth Camp day and it rained so they put that movie on to keep the kids quiet. It wasn't that bad of a movie."

I rolled my eyes. "Of all the movies in the whole entire world, you see that one only?"

"It wasn't that bad" Joe protested with a giggle.

"Promise me Joey. Promise me you will never speak of that again nor will you watch it again. And that includes the other two movies as well" I said.

"There's two more?" Joe gasped.

"I shouldn't have told you that" I frowned. "Don't you dare watch them!"

"Fine, fine" Joe laughed. He put his hands on my shoulders and stared me in the eyes. "But you listen here. If you need me, just call. I'm here for you."

"Okay" I smiled and hugged him again quickly.

The bell rang.

"Oh, shoot" I said. "That's the bell!"

Joe's eyes widened. "I've never been late before!"

"Relax. It's not a big deal" I said and Joe jumped out of the car. He helped me into my wheelchair and we raced to the doors of the school.

"You're pretty good at using that thing" Joe said as I wheeled down the hall like a pro.

"I know right?" I laughed. "I've used one before. Not because I was hurt. A few years ago, in Glee club, Mr. Schue made us all use a wheelchair for a week to learn what it's like. We did songs and dances in it too. It was hard but I guess helpful now."

Joe laughed. "I almost regret joining Glee club."

"Yes, you may" I said. "But that's half the fun."

* * *

><p><strong>AN**

**So what did you think of the newest two chapters? Feel free to review and thanks so much to everyone who did on previous chapters. :)**

**P.S. Who's excited that Joe and Quinn are doing a duet on Glee this week? WE ARE! 'Fabhart' has many haters, but they deserve a chance so that's why we're glad they may actually date too! :) YAYYYY!**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N**

**Heyyyy! Here is the Joe chatper written by _Zemmamma777_**

**Enjoy! :)**

* * *

><p><strong>Joe's POV<strong>

Break was the usual thing at McKinley High: couples making out at their lockers, jocks tossing a football around, that kind of thing. Of course, with all that going on, it also made it practically impossible to find someone if you're looking for them.

I don't really know Noah Puckerman all that well except through Glee. They guy's a punk, but I really did need to talk to him about the one thing he has a reputation for, besides violence and overall hooliganism: girls.

I had a bit of a problem: my feelings for one Quinn Fabray. Either I had to find a way to quash those feelings, or I had to get some training on how to act on them. The former's easier said than done, so that brings me to the latter, and why I specifically needed 'Puck' to help me. He may be vulgar, crude, and overall inappropriate, but he knew his way with the female gender.

After several minutes of walking the halls and scanning the crowd, I finally spotted the distinctive mohawk.

"Hey, Puck!" I called out, rushing up to him as he grabbed a book from his locker, looking at me, puzzled.

"Teen Jesus, what can the Puckasaurus do for you on this fine day?" he asked, an eyebrow quirked.

"I'm having some… _girl_ troubles, and I was hoping you'd-" I started, before he clamped a hand over my mouth and shushed me.

"Not here!" he exclaimed vehemently, looking around. "After school, choir room," he added in a dead-serious tone, then, seeing all the looks we were getting, called out: "No worries! Just practicing a little thing for a Youtube video!"

I came back to the school after dropping Quinn off at her house, going into the choir room as Puck had told me to. When I walked in, all the guys of New Directions were sitting in the risers, save for Artie, who was in his usual spot in the front row.

"Joseph Hart, welcome to the New Directions Brotherhood!" Puck said, and there was some cheers from the others.

"Umm, that kind of sounds like something in a book, where everyone would be sitting there in the pitch dark with like monk habits and everything," I said.

Puck chuckled a little nervously.

"Yeah, Puck actually wanted to do just that, but the rest of us vetoed it," Artie said matter-of-factly.

"Hey! It's a good idea!" Puck replied, outraged.

Finn patted him on the shoulder, "Next time, bro."

I had a seat on the piano bench.

"I have one important question for you, Joe, before we get started," Puck said, getting up from his chair in the third row and slowly descending to within a few feet of me. "What do you feel when you think of one Lucy Quinn Fabray?"

"Wait, her first name's Lucy?" I asked, perplexed.

"Don't dodge the question!" Puck said loudly.

"What do I feel when I think of her?" I repeated, and Puck nodded. I thought about it for a moment. "I feel love, my heart skips every time I see her, she means everything to me, and whenever I used to try and picture my wedding day, it was always the same down to every detail, except I could never see the bride's face. I can now. Quinn's the love of my life, I know it. I know she's the first girl I've fallen in love with, but I know that there's no other girl for me. I look at other girls, I don't feel the slightest longing in any way for them. Quinn has all my love, and that's how I want it to be," I finished, realizing how truly in love with the blonde angel I was.

"Good, then we-your Glee bros- are here to help," Puck said, giving me a pat on the arm. "Between when classes ended and you got here, we devised your plan of action."

He walked up to the white board and began writing the steps out, as well as little points here and there.

"So, you've already done Step 1: sing her a song. Next, with Step 2: you gotta ask her to hang out, this will be your date. Now, we've gone through a list of things you two could do that would be fun, romantic, and that cooperates with her current mobility issue: there's always the good-old movie ploy, you could bring her to a public park for a picnic, or take her to the closest bookstore/coffeeshop combo. Those are the best options we collectively agreed on."

"You know what? What if I do all three? A kind of mega-date," I suggested.

There was a pause.

"AND NONE OF YOU GUYS THOUGHT ABOUT THAT IDEA?" Puck shouted at the others.

"It's all cool, Puck," I laughed.

Puck composed himself, "Alright, so, at the end of the night, when you say goodbye, go for it: the kiss. We'll leave it up to you how you're going to go about it, whether it's giving her a hug, pulling away a little bit, then go in for it, or whatever you choose, just go for it. Sam here tried to go for a premature kiss and he ended up dating her, so no worries!"

I nodded.

"Then, once you get home, text her saying something to the effect of 'had an awesome time, thanks so much!', and then, if you left her with the kiss, just formally ask her out, because you can never be sure whether kissing will automatically get that question out of the way. The rest from there is in the hands of any and every deity known to living beings."

"Thanks guys, I really appreciate this," I said, clasping my hands together in a thanking gesture to them.

I was walking out when Puck called me back.

"Yeah?" I asked.

"Got get her, bro!" he said, which I smiled to.

Once I got home, I fired off a text to Quinn.

_'Hey Q, I was wondering if you wanted to hang out Sunday, after church? :D'_

She replied a minute later.

_'__Joey! Yeah, sure, what did you have in mind? :)'_

I texted her back my plan.

_'Well, I was thinking a little picnic in the park down the street, then go to the bookstore to grab some coffee and look at some books, and finally catching a movie, what do you think? :D'_

I sat there, waiting anxiously with my phone screen-down on my chest, waiting for it to vibrate. When it finally did, I unlocked it with shaking hands to see her reply.

_'Sure! That sounds awesome! :D What movie did you want to see?'_

Phew, what a relief! I texted her back.

_'Your choice! Too bad they aren't playing High School Musical! :('_

She replied two minutes later.

_'Thank God they aren't playing High School Musical! :P I'll see you at church, then?'_

I smiled and fired off the last message.

_'Yeah, see ya! :D'_

I punched the air in triumph, even letting out a little "Yes!", then it dawned on me how nervous I am now and am going to be for the date in two days' time.

_Yikes!_

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><p><strong>AN**

**There we go! A date awaits! :) Keep on shipping Fabhart/Jinn/Quoe!**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N**

**Hello! What you are about to read the the latest Quinn chapter written by random-gleekV**

**Enjoy :)**

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><p><strong>Quinn's POV<strong>

He asked me out on a date. He asked me out on a freakin date. Joe Hart asked me, Quinn Fabray, out on a real live date. I think I might explode. Or faint. If I could move my legs, I'd be doing a cliché happy dance. But at the same time, I'm nervous. The first two activities we have planned seem fine. But the movie part is what concerns me a bit. Joe hasn't seen many movies, so what movie we go see may be an issue. If it's a rom-com, I'll like it, but Joe may not or it could make the whole thing awkward for us. Especially if there is some...more adult content in it. If we see an action movie, I'll be bored and or scared. And I'm not sure how Joe will react. If we decide to try a little kids movie just because it's safe and okay for all ages, it may be stupidly lame and we'll get bored or Joe will think it's cheesy or immature. There are so many issues that could occur. I don't know what to do. I guess I'll just have to see how it'll play out.  
>Anyways, so I've started going to Physical Therapy. So far, it's useless. Nothing is working and it's been making me upset. My mom comes with me and helps out. But after two sessions, nothing has happened. My mom keeps telling me not to lose hope. I'm not. Despite what others think. Artie, for one. He thinks I'm stuck like this permanently. I am not. Who cares what he thinks? He's still a sweet guy and all that, but he has no idea what to say to a girl. There have been several occasions like this.<p>

So today is Saturday. And all day, I've had the date on my mind. I don't think it's healthy. So I took drastic measures. I needed to distract myself. I invited Mercedes over. She graciously came over. But she knew something was up right away.

"Girl, what's up? You're hiding something. And you just have to tell me," she said with a sly smile.

"You can read me like a book," I retorted. "But yes, my mind is racing."

Mercedes flopped on my makeshift bed. Well, it was my real bed, but it was temporarily downstairs now.  
>"So? Tell me!" Mercedes begged, her eyes shining.<p>

"Well, yesterday Joe texted me," I began. "And he asked if I wanted to hang out after church. He suggested a picnic, coffee and movie. So like a date!"

"Ahhhhhh!" Mercedes screamed, sharing my joy. I beamed.

"I'm so happy!" I said.

"Holy cow! Girl, that's like the news of the century! Oh, I'm so happy for you! You and Joe are like cuter than Kurt and Blaine, but don't tell Kurt I said that," Mercedes rambled on with a large smile.

"I know! I'm so excited because I like him and I didn't know if he liked me, but maybe he does and I can't stop smiling!" I said.

"What? It's so obvious he likes you!" Mercedes screeched. "You guys flirt like every second."

I rolled my eyes. "Being close friends is not flirting."

"For you two it is," Mercedes said, bouncing on the bed excitedly. "Okay, let's get down to business."

"What do you mean?" I asked, tilting my head.

"Business!" Mercedes said, louder. She sat up straight and folded her hands in her lap. "Now tell me, what are you going to wear?"

I giggle. Leave it Mercedes to be clothes obsessed. "Um maybe yoga pants and that blue hoodie?" I pointed to my blue hoodie that was lying on the couch.

"No, no, no" Mercedes shook her head. "Are you smoking something?"

Memories of the weeks I spend under the school bleachers smoking something, somedays I didn't even know what, flashed into my mind. I guess I had frowned because when I looked up at Mercedes, she had a guilty look on her face.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't think-"

"It's fine," I said quickly. Geeze, I regretted those days now more than ever. Even though I went blonde and girly again for the wrong reasons, I'm glad I did.

Mercedes, eager to forget this minor incident, smiled. "Anyways, no you absolutely cannot wear that outfit on your date. Over my dead body," she said, her sass returning.

"I don't want to get all dressed up for this. He never did actually say 'date'. He said 'hang out' so for all we know, it may just be casual," I reasoned.

"Look at you! Five minutes ago you were here squealing because you had a date with the love of your life and now you said it's just a 'hang out'?"

I held up three fingers. "Three issues with that ridiculous sentence you just spoke. One, I never said he was the love of my life. Two, I am right. It may just be a hang out. And three, I checked the weather forecast and it's supposed to be chilly on Sunday, so what I had planned would keep me warm."

It was Mercedes' turn to roll her eyes. "You just don't get it do you?"

"Get what?"

"Joe likes you!" Mercedes yelled in my face with a smile. "And, it's a great thing that it'll be cold. That means you can pull the old 'fake cold' except real."

"The what?"

"The fake cold. You know, when you shiver so the guys gives you his jacket. It's totally romantic" Mercedes explained with a sly grin.

I sighed. "That's ridiculous."

"No it's not. It's brilliant."

"I don't care."

"So what are you going to wear, with this superb idea in mind?"

"What if Joe doesn't have a jacket to give me?" I asked, eyebrows raised.

Mercedes paused. "He will. It's like a rule. Guys always bring a jacket."

"Not Joe. He was homeschooled so maybe he doesn't know the 'rule'," I said, using air quotations.

"He will," Mercedes nodded, clearly not going to argue the point.

I sighed. "Mercedes, to be perfectly honest, I invited you here to help get Joe off my mind."

Mercedes laughed. "Oh, hush. I'm helping you."

I rolled my eyes.

"Now, you have two options. One, skinny jeans and a cute top or, option two, a dress," Mercedes said.

"Fine, I'll wear a dress," I said with a sigh.

"Oh, cute! You wanna show some leg, huh?" Mercedes winked with a smile.

I giggled. "No, dresses are my style."

"Sure," Mercedes said and she looked through the dresses I had in the room. She grinned and held up a pink and green floral print dress. "This is it!" She announced with a grin.

"Really? I haven't worn that in ages. I look like a watermelon," I said.

"Nonsense!" Mercedes replied. "This is adorable. Joe'll love it."

"I don't think Joe will care. It matters more if I love it," I point out.

"You will love it. Because it makes you look even prettier than you are already," Mercedes said.  
>"Oh, shucks," I said with a laugh. "Okay, fine. I'll wear the dress."<p>

"Yay!" Mercedes cheered. "Oh, and go easy on the red lipstick. It just makes you look desperate."

The rest of the time, Mercedes and I watched funny videos online. We laughed so loud and I was glad my mind was off Joe for a while. It was also good to hang with a girl for once. Joe's great but he can't discuss the new hot boy band with you or comment on the gorgeous dress that star wore on the red carpet like a girl can. When Mercedes left, it was late and I was tired. So I ate a quick microwavable dinner and went to sleep. I had a big day ahead of me.

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><p>Church was torture. I'm sorry, that wasn't very Christian of me to say. What I meant was, waiting through Church was difficult. I caught Joe's eye once as we went in and he blushed a bit. I guess he was as excited as me. Or nervous. And during the mass, I sang loudly, to try and distract myself. It worked for like ten seconds. Finally, it ended and we filed out of the building and into the sunlight. I took the wheelchair exit and Joe's family met us there.<p>

"Hello," my mom said to Joe's mom.

"Hi!" she said with a smile.

"Hey Joey," I smiled at Joe. Joe smiled back and waved.

"Ruth, do you and your husband want a drive home? I heard Quinn and Joe have plans," my mom said to Mrs. Hart.

"Yes, so I heard. Joe was preparing stuff all morning," his mother said and smiled at Joe and me.

"Mom!" Joe gasped, clearly embarrassed. I giggled.

"Thanks for the offer," Joe's father said. "But I am actually going to speak to the priest about possibly replacing the bibles here. So I'll walk home later."

"Ruth?" My mom asked.

"Sure, thanks so much," Mrs. Hart answered.

My mom and Joe's mom left. Joe's father handed Joe the car keys and walked to the front of the Church. That left just us.

"So..." Joe said awkwardly.

"So..." I repeated. "Are we going to go?" I asked slowly.

"Yeah" Joe nodded. He gave a smile. "Let's go!" He walked alongside me as I wheeled across the parking lot. Joe helped me into the car and then he got in too. He started the car and we pulled out of the parking lot and hit the road.

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><p><strong>AN **

**There we go! We'll try to update ASAP :) Love you all!**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N**

**Enjoy this Joe chapter written by _Zemmamma777_!**

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><p><strong>Joe's POV<strong>

It was Sunday, the day for church, and the day for mine and Quinn's date. Okay, it wasn't officially a date, it was a hangout, but I'm treating it like a date. I don't know how she sees it, though.

I was getting dressed in the morning when my phone vibrated from my bedside table. I picked it up and opened the text, which was from Sam.

_'Last bro tip, bud, wear a jacket. Or a sweater. ALWAYS wear a sweater or a jacket on a date, which you will graciously give to your date when she gets cold. Best of luck from me and the guys!'_

Sound advice. I grabbed a cardigan from my closet. This was quite warm, so I figure I'll wear that.

I looked at my reflection. I kept my dreads down and I was wearing a purple t-shirt under the brown cardigan I grabbed, along with stone-washed jeans. To complete it, I slipped my ever-present sandals. The perfect outfit. I think.

I went down stairs and grabbed things from the fridge that I'd prepared last night, packing plates, utensils, glasses, and finally, a red and white checkered picnic blanket into a wicker basket, putting it in the trunk of the car.

I did a quick pat-down, making sure I had phone and wallet, then went back in to wait for my parents.

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><p>I was nervous, so incredibly nervous. Here we were, Quinn and I, in the car on the way for our date.<p>

We soon enough got to the park and I helped her into her chair, quickly grabbing the basket from my trunk and handing it to Quinn, who smiled and set it down on her lap as I grabbed the handles of her chair and pushed her down the paved path until we got to about the spot I picked.

I set everything up while Quinn watched, still smiling. I came back and carried her to our picnic and set her down there, running back and grabbing her wheelchair. It couldn't really go through the grass and over the slightly uneven ground all that well.

As I sat down, a young girl with blonde pigtails and a pink dress skipped up to us, hand me a bouquet of flowers.

"Thanks, Macy, I said, smiling brightly at my young neighbour.

"You're welcome, Joseph," she said, playing with the hem of her dress.

"Macy, this is Quinn Fabray," I said, motioning to Quinn, who smiled and waved. "Quinn, this is Macy, she lives next door to me."

"Nice to meet you, Macy," Quinn said sweetly.

"Nice to meet you too," Macy replied. "You're very pretty. When I grow up, I want to be as pretty as you!"

Quinn and I chuckled.

"You'll grow up to be even _more_ beautiful than me Macy!" Quinn said.

"Nuh-uh, that's not possible!" Macy said, shaking her head.

"And why is that?" the older girl asked, puzzled.

"Because, you're an angel. Joseph said you were. That you are the most beautiful girl he has ever seen and that you have the voice of an angel."

"Oh, he said that, did he?" Quinn asked, arching an eyebrow and looking at me, with amused intrigue.

"Quinn?"

"Yes?"

"Are you going to marry Joe?"

Quinn laughed and I joined in, albeit nervously.

"Possibly," Quinn said, still looking at me.

"Good," the younger girl said, nodding.

My heart skipped a beat, did Quinn actually say that?

A voice called out.

"That's my Mommy, I have to go," Macy said, turning and running in the direction of the voice.

"Bye Macy!" we both chorused and we saw her turn slightly to wave at us.

"She's an absolute sweetheart," I said, smiling.

"She has to be _the_ cutest thing ever!" Quinn giggled. "So, I'm the most beautiful girl you've ever seen?" I wasn't looking at her at that point in time, but I could hear the grin in her voice.

"Aw, shoot. I was hoping you weren't going to ask me that!" I said ruefully, scratching the back of my neck.

"Too late, I'm asking now!" she laughed.

"Yes, you are the most beautiful girl I have ever seen, and when I look at you, I honestly think that God has sent an angel down to Earth and her name is Lucy Quinn Fabray," I said, looking her right in the eye as I said that.

She smiled warmly at that, the blush creeping up to her cheeks.

"You're so sweet," she said simply.

I held up my hands, "I'm just calling it how I see it."

She laughed and we dug into the spaghetti I had made for us. I knew it was her favourite and I had gotten the chance to quickly warm it up before leaving. I poured her some juice and we went through some small talk as we ate, not seeming in any way awkward or forced.

"… So there we were: 3 o'clock in the morning, having a little jam session to show what Puck had retained!" I said, laughing slightly at the memory. "We were all so dead, ready to fall asleep, when he suddenly said it! Him, Sam and I grabbed guitars and started going all punk rock, Finn was drumming and I _think_ Rory might have been going around with maracas? I'm not sure! And then Mike and Blaine chipped in with a few little English accent bits! I just really hope that did end up helping Puck! He really seemed to know his stuff by the time we were done!"

"That's really great that you guys stood by Puck and helped him out in a time of need!" Quinn replied.

"Yeah," I said, smiling. "Well, you think it's time we head off to the bookstore?"

"Sure!" Quinn said brightly.

She helped me pack the food and dishes back into the basket and then I brought her chair back onto the paved section and carried her to it, folding up the blanket and pushing her back to the car. I popped all the picnic things into the trunk and transferred her into her seat, packing up the wheelchair in the back.

A few minutes of singing along to the radio, and I pulled into the lot of the local Barnes & Noble, which had a Starbucks inside.

"Ooh, come with me!" Quinn said, as soon as we got in.

She wheeled over towards the kids' section, heading over to the teen fiction section, while my frown grew as I followed her.

She stopped in front of a bookcase and was pointing to a book.

"_Harry Potter_?" I asked, picking up the one she was pointing to, entitled _Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone_.

"It's the single most popular book series in the whole world. It's right up there with _Lord of the Rings_ and the _Chronicles of Narnia_…" she saw my blank look. "Which you haven't read, but we'll get you caught up on that!"

Ten minutes later, I had bought the box set of Harry Potter books and an all-in-one Lord of the Rings book, with Quinn promising to lend me the Narnia books once I was done with the other two sets of books. She had grabbed a book of her own, which I'd bought and we sat in the Starbucks section, sipping on drinks that Quinn had bought, after much debate between us as to who would pay.

Once we'd finished our drinks, we tossed the Styrofoam cups in the garbage and left the store, me once again helping Quinn into the car.

"So, you have no feeling in your legs, whatsoever?" I asked as I drove.

"None, the paralysis basically makes me unable to move them or have any sensation in my legs at all," Quinn said.

I had accidentally hit the side of her seat with her legs when lifting her in and apologizing when she reminded me of her not having any feeling in her legs.

We pulled up to the theatre and once Quinn was out, we looked up at the billboard to see what was playing.

"Well, there's really _The Five Year Engagement_ or _The Lucky One_ we could see," I stated, still craning my neck at the billboard.

"You know what?" Quinn asked.

"What?"

"How about we just skip the movie, leave it for another time?"

"Umm, I guess, sure," I said, a little taken aback.

"Besides, we've had a few dates' worth up until now, anyways," she stated.

It was my turn that evening to quirk an eyebrow.

"So it's a date now?" I asked playfully.

"Oh come on, the flowers from Macy, the picnic, plus, even if it wasn't officially a date, I'd like it to count as one, our first date."

I grinned at that.

"So what do we want to do instead?" I asked her, looking up and down the street, trying to see if there was anything else we could do.

"How about we just go for a little stroll around the block?" she suggested.

I shrugged and grabbed the handlebars, pushing her down the sidewalk, away from the theatre.

I looked down at Quinn and saw her shivering slightly. Without hesitation, I took off my cardigan and draped it around her shoulders, once again grabbing the handlebars once I'd freed my arms from the cardigan.

"Thank you," I heard her say.

"No problem," was my response.

I noticed she slipped her arms into the sleeves and sort of snuggled into it a bit, burying her head into the collar.

"It's so warm, and it smells really nice," she commented.

Laughter took me over as I processed her words.

"I had no idea I gave off that kind of heat and- quote, unquote- 'smell really nice'," I replied jokingly.

"Oh no, not you, the cardigan itself. You on the other hand, Mr. Hart, smell funny," she shot back, deadpan.

That took me a bit off-guard and as I mulled that over, Quinn burst out laughing.

"I'm sorry! I couldn't resist it!" she managed to say through her laughs.

"You, Ms. Fabray, are mean," I sniffed.

By now, we'd gotten back to where I'd parked and we got back on, Quinn still wearing my cardigan. The drive back was in a comfortable silence. I pulled into the driveway and got Quinn back into her chair, and carried girl and chair up the steps and into the entranceway, setting her down in the hallway.

She spun about to face me.

"I had a really great time, Joey," she said, smiling.

"Me too," I replied.

She spread her arms for a hug, and I went in for it, my dreads brushing with her golden vanilla-scented locks. We were hugging for a good minute, neither of us seemingly wanting to leave the other's embrace.

As I was pulling away, Puck's words began ringing in my ears, and I stopped and looked her in the eyes. We were inches from each other and as if by a magnetic pull, started leaning back in until our lips brushed tentatively.

I closed my eyes when that happened and suddenly Quinn made our lips' contact more substantial, leaning in the rest of the way.

It was magic, our lips moving against each others', seeming to fit as if we were destined for this. I felt a little unstable from the sheer feeling of this, and set my hand down on her thigh to steady myself as we kissed.

That's when she froze.

I pulled away.

"Q, is everything alright?" I asked, concerned. "Was the kiss too far?"

"No, no, it was perfect," she said absent-mindedly. "I can _feel_ you resting your hand on my thigh."

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><p><strong>AN**

**Oooooh suspence! Yes, this is not following the show much anymore, but we hope you still like it!**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N**

**Here is the Quinn chapter written by _random-gleekV_**

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><p><strong>Quinn's POV<strong>

We sat in the waiting room of the Physical Therapy center. It was a drab room but our smiles lit it right up.  
>After I had told Joe that I could feel his hand, we immediately went into my house where my mom and Joe's mom were drinking tea and chatting. I had told my mom the news and she had almost screamed with joy. We hurried in the car and drove straight here, where the four of us sat, waiting.<p>

My heart was pounding, for several reasons. One, Joe and I had a perfect date and then we kissed! And it was complete magic! And then when his hand rested on my leg, it was like his hand transferred sparks to my leg and I could feel it. Another reason was my mom and Mrs. Hart were so happy for me. They kept beaming and whispering to each other, but I knew it was all positive things. The last reason was Joe. He sat next to me and kept looking at me. He also had his new book with him and had it open like he was reading it, but after ten minutes, he was still on page two so I don't think he was reading much. As for me, I kept on poking my leg, to see if I could feel it. And most of the time, I could. Below my knee, I couldn't feel it very well, but I was too happy to be upset about that. Progress is progress!  
>Finally, the doctor called us in. All four of us went in the room and the psychiatrist looked at me.<p>

"So you're getting feeling in your legs?" she asked. She had thinning rusty hair and thin lips.

"Yeah I am," I answered.

She made a note in her notepad. "That's good."

"Uh..." my mom spoke up. "Not to be a downer here, but...isn't it early? It's been three weeks since the accident. I think twenty five days, to be exact. The doctor at the hospital said one or two months."

"I guess it means that her spine is healing faster, meaning the impact wasn't a bad as presumed" the psychiatrist said.

"So it's a good thing?" My mom asked; just to confirm.

"Yup. Now, we're just going to do some little tests and I want you to tell me if you can feel it and to what extent."

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><p>We went back in my house. The session had gone well. I'm still in my wheel chair, for the time being. The psychiatrist's tests were pretty simple. It was just her poking and patting my legs and me telling her if I could feel it. I couldn't feel much at all by my feet, but I had another appointment there in a week's time so hopefully I will be able to by then.<br>So now, at my house, we sat in the family room. And by 'we' I mean Joe and I. The moms were back in the kitchen, re-heating their tea. And also, Joe's father came by and was drinking tea with them. As for us two, we were playing cards- Solitaire to be exact

"I hope you know; I am a master at this," Joe said, shuffling the cards like he was at a casino.

I snickered. "Well, prepare to lose that status because I am a pro."

"A pro loser," Joe murmured, shuffling the other deck. I threw a pillow at him.

When both decks were shuffled, I took one and moved the TV remote from the table

"Three, two, one, go!" I said and we began organizing our cards.

I had an ace of hearts and slapped that down in the middle.  
>Joe had already put down an ace of spade and a two on top of that.<br>The game was intense. Both of us rapidly moved cards and all that was heard was the slap of cards on the wooden table. At one point, I had no moves so I watched Joe move his cards and hopefully make a move that I could add to.

"Did you give up already?" Joe asked as he moved a stack over to another. He had looked up and saw me watching his cards.

"Very funny. No, I just have no moves. And maybe if you stopped worrying about what I'm doing, you'd hurry up and make a move that I could add on to. Like moving that five, four and three to that six there" I advised.

"Maybe I don't want to," Joe retorted. "Now shush! You're distracting me."

The game continued on for a while longer. I had gotten back into it too. And I was winning, no matter what Joe may think. My stack of remaining cards was much smaller than his stack. The game got so much intense than it was, as we both were close to the end. Our slaps of cards on the stacks got so much quicker and rushed as we fought for victory. We had both run out of cards and were hurrying to get the other cards into the stacks in the middle.

"Yes!" I shouted as I slapped the king of hearts into the stack. It was my final card.

"No!" Joe wailed. He had two cards left to put down. "No!"

"Like a boss," I said smugly, drumming my hands on the table.

Joe still wasn't in the know with the lingo so he kinda stared at me blankly.

"It means I win!" I said with a smile.

Joe shook his head, but didn't deny it. He couldn't.  
>"I am the Solitaire champion!" I shouted, savoring my win.<p>

"That was just luck," Joe said, blushing.

"Oh yeah?" I asked. "You still think you're the master, Mr. Hart?"

"I do indeed," Joe said in his fake British accent.

"Care for a rematch then?" I asked, separating our two decks of cards.

"Bring it, Ms. Fabray" Joe said. He tied back his dreads. I guess that meant business.

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><p><strong>AN **

**Nothing like a good game of Solitare! :) Hahaha Thanks to everyone who left a reply and saved this story. We love you so much! :)**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N**

**This is the latest Joe chapter written by Zemmama777. Enjoy! :)**

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><p><strong>Joe's POV<strong>

This past week since the date has been nothing short of amazing. We hang out even more than we did before (if that's even possible) and we've been taking things nice, slow, and easy. What I can't believe, though, is how little time we have before school ends and Quinn goes off to Yale. It makes me proud and sad at the same time. Proud that this girl I've become so close to is going to go fulfill her dreams, but sad that I'll be so far away from her.

Quinn's progress with her physiotherapy has been great. She's able to walk freely now, if maybe a little shakily, but she's definitely getting there. She's been going four times a week ever since the date and I've gone with her every single time.

We were at her house after a physiotherapy session and she was super tired from the amount of walking she had done and just wanted to rest. I carried her over to the living room, despite her protests and we sprawled out on the couch there, with her head resting on my shoulder and me with my arms wrapped around her. This was fairly regular for us, for the past week, at least.

I looked down slightly at the angel in my arms.

"Quinn?"

"Yeah, Joey?"

"Are we… dating?" I asked hesitantly, cringing internally and somewhat externally as I said this.

She twisted somewhat to look up into my eyes.

"Well, we went on the most amazing date ever, you gave me the most amazing kiss of my life, and we both love spending time around each other. We're also quite inseparable, so I'm going to say that yes, we are."

"Well, is it something you want?"

Quinn thought about it, "Yes, I would love to date you, Joe. You've been nothing but sweet and the greatest thing that's ever happened to me, so how could I pass up that opportunity?"

She let that hang in the air for a bit.

"Joe, would you like to be my boyfriend?" she asked hesitantly.

I smiled, leant down and gave her a kiss. It was sweet, soft, and let her know just how much I love her.

"I'll take that as a yes?" Quinn laughed.

"You'd better!" I joked.

People were usually supposed to look around at this sort of thing. They were usually supposed to point and gossip, somehow oblivious to the fact that the subjects of their discussion could, in fact, hear them.

Quinn and I were walking (yes, Quinn finally decided she would give walking a shot today) the halls of McKinley High, and everyone could not be more shocked. They weren't pointing and gossiping about the fact that we were holding hands; they were all staring, mouths agape as Quinn Fabray was back on her feet, a miracle recovery from a horrific accident.

We didn't care one bit. Quinn wouldn't let this get to her anyways, but the feeling of her hand in mine made me forget about any worries I had running through my head. We stopped at our lockers and were shooting each other loving glances behind the backs of the people in between our two lockers. We had both shut our lockers at the same moment, and I walked over to her and our hands re-joined as if by some magnetic force. I realized that magnetic force was love.

I know what I was feeling was love, no doubt about it. I know Quinn felt strongly about me, but I'm not sure if it was quite to the point of it being love. We walked into Mr. Schuester's class, and he looked up to see us come in, and did a double take when he realized Quinn was walking.

"Quinn?" he asked in wonder. "You're walking?"

"Yes," she replied, smiling.

She walked up to him and gave him a huge hug.

"It's a miracle," he breathed.

The rest of the day continued in much the same pattern, with people disbelieving of the fact that Quinn was on her feet again. The word 'miracle' was tossed around so many times, too. Thinking about it, I was also thinking to myself that it was a miracle from God. How else could she have gone from prospectively permanent paralysis to being on her feet like that?

But, there was one thing that was bugging me. We were almost at the end of the school year, and with that, almost everyone was going their separate ways. I was going to miss all of them, especially Quinn. I wanted to be able to say that to them at Glee practice, and I knew the perfect song for that.

"Hey guys, to kick things off today, Joe has a special little something prepared," Mr. Schuester said, giving me the floor at Glee.

"How's it going, dudes? So, it just dawned on me just _how_ close it is to the end of the year, and with that coming up, that means a lot of you are going to be headed all over the map, leaving the rest of us to pick up the pieces and hopefully keep the New Directions going strong. I cannot start to express just how amazing my time has been since I've come to McKinley: realizing that love is love, no matter who shares it with who; helping Puck with his exam; but also meeting the most amazing girl ever, one who I have the privilege of calling my girlfriend. So, enough rambling by me. The song I'll be singing is called 'Wonderful Life'."

"By Gwen Stefani?" someone asked while my back was turned, walking to grab a guitar.

"No, this one's by a rock band called Alter Bridge."

With that, I counted in the song, and we came in with a full blast of sound and after a progression, I vocalized, then the music dropped to me on the guitar, the bass, and the drums.

_'Close your eyes,__  
><em>_And just hear me sing,__  
><em>_One last long goodbye,__  
><em>_One last song before you spread your wings.__There's so much left to say,__  
><em>_And before this moment slips away'__  
><em>

With that, we kicked into the chorus:

_'What a wonderful life,__  
><em>_For as long as you've been at my side,__  
><em>_And I want you to know,__  
><em>_I loved you so'__  
><em>

It dropped back into the verse:

_'The cold night calls,__  
><em>_And the tears fall like rain,__  
><em>_It's so hard letting go,__  
><em>_Of the one thing I'll never replace__And soon you will be gone,__  
><em>_But these words, they will live on__What a wonderful life,__  
><em>_For as long as you've been at my side,__  
><em>_And I want you to know,__  
><em>_I'll miss you so,__  
><em>_And though our days come to an end,__  
><em>_No, I'll never love like this again,__  
><em>_What a wonderful life my friend'__  
><em>

Then came the bridge:_  
><em>

_'All that I am,__  
><em>_You let me be,__  
><em>_I will remember you,__  
><em>_For all that you've done,__  
><em>_And given to me__Love will remain,__  
><em>_This I can see,__  
><em>_Now and forever more__  
><em>_Because of you,__  
><em>_Now I believe__  
><em>_I believe'__  
><em>

It was just the my guitar and the keyboard for the next part:_  
><em>

_'What a wonderful life,__  
><em>_For as long as you've been at my side,__  
><em>_And I want you to know,__  
><em>_I loved you so'__  
><em>

It launched back into all instruments:_  
><em>

_'What a wonderful life,__  
><em>_For as long as you've been at my side,__  
><em>_And I want you to know,__  
><em>_I'll miss you so,__  
><em>_And though our days come to an end,__  
><em>_No, I'll never love like this again,__  
><em>_What a wonderful life__  
><em>_A wonderful life__  
><em>_What a wonderful life__  
><em>_What a wonderful life__And with one last embrace__  
><em>_As the tears fall like rain you're gone__  
><em>_And with one last goodbye,__  
><em>_As you fade out tonight, you're gone'__  
><em>

As I held the 'gone', I went up into a falsetto and let the last note of music ring. Applause rang out, and I saw several people wiping away a few tears.

I felt a hand clamp down on my shoulder, belonging to Mr. Schuester.

"Thank you Joe," he sniffed. "That was… awesome and just the perfect thing to have at this point."

I set down the guitar and walked back to my seat, where Quinn took my hand and gave me a kiss on the cheek.

"Thank you, Joey," she said in a voice that I knew for sure meant that she had suppressed tears. "That was absolutely beautiful."

In that moment, I knew for sure that I didn't want any of this to end.

* * *

><p><strong>AN**

**Joe's song is 'Wonderful Life' by Alter Bridge.**


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N**

**And this is the lastest Quinn chapter by random-gleekV**

* * *

><p><strong>Quinn's POV<strong>  
>I was at a point in life where I was kind of floating. But it was good floating. I was so happy with where I was. I had great friends, a great mother and lastly, I had Joe. He was awesome. As a friend, as a person and as a boyfriend. You know, I never understood Coach Sylvester's speech at her sister's wedding until now. She talked about being attached to someone like a tether cord and clearly it was meaningful to Finn, but I never got it. Now I do. Joe is at the end of my tether and I never want to cut that cord. Which is why I've pushed all negative thoughts of moving away out of my head. I don't even want to think about it now. So I'm not. I've learned that I'm in charge of me and I choose to live in today. One day at a time.<p>

"Want to come over after school?" Joe asked me.

"I can't" I smiled at him.

"Why, may I ask?"

"I'm practising" I answered. "You've sung like two songs in New Directions and then you sing to me like all the time outside of school. So now I'm gonna take the mic."

"Oooh, what song?" Joe asked as we walked down the hall.

I grinned and leaned up so I could whisper in his ear.

"I'm not telling so get over it" I whispered. I laughed.

Joe laughed as well. "Fine. Be that way."

"I will."

So, like I promised, I went home and browsed through songs. I didn't want just any song. I wanted a song that I could sing and have people, Joe especially, connect to it. Then I found it. It was perfect. Sure, it wasn't my normal style of music, but the lyrics were too amazing to pass up. Besides, no one will expect it.

* * *

><p>The next morning, I heard the familiar knock on the door. Right after that, I heard the door open and Joe come inside. I had told him a week ago that he might as well let himself in everyday instead of having me come answer the door. I'm a procrastinator so I'm usually running late in the morning so it'll save me time too. Joe strolled into the kitchen where I was brushing my hair as I waited for my waffles to pop out from the toaster.<p>

"Oh, I see you're on time today" Joe rolled his eyes.

"Shut up" I smiled. "Want some food?"

"Nah, I just ate" Joe said. "At my house. Because I was on time".

My waffles popped so I took them and grabbed my bag.

"Are plates too formal for you?" Joe teased as I bit my waffle.

"Yes. Now let's go. I'm eating in the car" I said.

"Don't you dare get crumbs all over the seat" Joe laughed and poked me.

"I won't. Now why must you criticise everything I do?" I asked.

Joe shrugged. "You're cute when you're upset."

I snorted as we walked down the driveway to his car.

"You know" I said as Joe started the car. "There is one good thing about my crash."

"What's that?"

"I can now get a car that isn't a stupid punch buggy" I smiled and took another bite of my waffle.

"Aw, I liked the punch buggy" Joe said. "It's fun."

"No. It was annoying" I said.

Joe drummed his fingers on the steering wheel. "So you're singing a song today?"

"Correct" I smiled. "Aren't you curious as to what song?"

"Yes!"

"Sucks for you!" I laughed. "You get to be surprised like everyone else."

"Oh, alright" Joe said. He knew he'll never win this battle. I smiled smugly.

We arrived at the school and Joe parked the car. We got out and into the warm sun.

"You're walking like normal" Joe commented as he twined his fingers with mine.

"Thanks" I said. "It...feels normal too."

"Good."

Finally, the time came. School was over and we were assembling in the choir room. I was already in there when Joe walked in as he chatted with Sam. He gave me a large smile, which I reciprocated.

"Okay guys, let's get started" Mr. Schue said, clapping his hands together.

Rachel's hand darted in the air. "I have a song."

"Cool, but you're on the waiting list. Quinn asked me earlier today to go first" Mr. Schue said. He pointed to me. "Quinn, the stage is yours."

I smiled nervously and stood up, adjusting my dress. Was it too late to back out? I almost wanted to ditch the whole thing. This is my first song since my accident by myself. It was also the first solo and the first song for Joe. Too many firsts! But then I saw the love. Everyone was giving me wide, encouraging smiles. Especially Joe. In fact, he had a dazed look. I hope that's a good sign. With all their huge smiles, I felt rejuvenated and ready to sing. I nodded to Brad and the band and they began to play.

'_Ahh-Yeah_  
><em>Oh my God, something is wrong<em>  
><em>I'm floatin' down a river where I don't belong<em>  
><em>With out you<em>  
><em>'Cause if I fall with out you<em>  
><em>Now I see it's all clear to me<em>  
><em>I could do a lot of things, but I could never be<em>  
><em>With out you<em>  
><em>'Cause if I fall with out you<em>

_And you pick me up when I am down_  
><em>And you make me smile<em>  
><em>So hands up, take it all away<em>  
><em>If I got you then I'll be okay<em>  
><em>I know, now everybody say<em>  
><em>If I got you I like it that way<em>

_Ohhh-ohh_  
><em>Oh my God, nothing is fine<em>  
><em>I'll go a little crazy 'cause I'm losin' my mind<em>  
><em>With out you<em>  
><em>'Cause if I fall with out you<em>  
><em>Come what may all I gotta say<em>  
><em>I could have a lot of fun, but I don't wanna play<em>  
><em>With out you<em>  
><em>'Cause if I fall with out you<em>

_You pick me up when I am down_  
><em>And you make me smile<em>  
><em>So hands up take it all away<em>  
><em>If I got you then I'll be okay<em>  
><em>I know, now everybody say<em>  
><em>If I got you I like it that way<em>  
><em>If I got you I like it<em>

_With out you_  
><em>I don't got a reason<em>  
><em>With out you<em>  
><em>I don't got a soul<em>  
><em>For all my days<em>  
><em>I live to praise<em>  
><em>You make me wanna<em>  
><em>Scream and shout it out<em>  
><em>It's all I gotta say<em>

_Ahhh-nahhh_  
><em>Hands up<em>  
><em>Take it all away<em>  
><em>If I got you then I'll be ok<em>  
><em>I know, now everybody say<em>  
><em>If I got you I like it that way<em>  
><em>Hands up<em>  
><em>Take it all away<em>  
><em>If I got you then I'll be ok<em>  
><em>I know, now everybody say<em>  
><em>If I got you I like it that way<em>  
><em>If I got you then I'll be ok<em>  
><em>If I got you I like it that way<em>'

As I sang, I made eye contact with everyone. But one second of looks per person meant I had lots of extra time to stare at Joe. He had a large smile the whole time. I tried my best to portray as much love in my song.

When the song ended, they all clapped. I blushed and sat down. Most of them whispered their praises to me and I smiled. Joe was on the other side of the room so he didn't say anything, but he gave me a thumbs-up then made a heart with his hands. I found that better than him telling me in words.

"That was amazing" Joe gushed to me after Glee ended. We walked to his car.

"Thanks" I beamed.

"I've never heard you sing like that" Joe continued.

"Well, to be fair, it's not my normal style of music" I said.

"Well, you did amazing with it" Joe said. He opened the passenger side door for me.

"Why, thank you, Joey" I said in my fake British accent as I sat down. Joe smiled but I'm not sure if it was because of the nickname or the lame accent attempt.

Joe walked around and got in the car at his side.

"It was true, you know" I said slowly before he started the car.

"What was?" Joe asked.

"My song. The lyrics" I said quietly.

Joe smiled and reached over to brush away my bangs from my eyes. "I could tell."

"You could?"

Joe nodded. "Thank you." And with that, he leaned over and kissed me.

We drove home in silence. But that didn't stop him and I from glancing over lovingly every minute. When we reached my house, I opened the door and got out. Joe rolled down the window and grinned.

"Hey, uh, remember that little girl at the park? Macy? Well, I'm supposed to babysit her this Friday night. And her mom told me she was asking for you to come too. Do you want to come?"

I smiled. Joe often talked about Macy and how she said and did the most adorably random things.

"Sure!" I smiled.

Joe beamed. "Great! Well, see you tomorrow then."

"Yes sir. Bye" I waved as he rolled up the window. "Love you" I whispered as I watched him drive off. We hadn't said those three words yet so I had to say it when he couldn't hear. I smiled and walked up to my house. I could still taste Joe on my lips.

* * *

><p><strong>AN**

**Hey y'all! We'd both like to say how very very VERY sorry we are for not posting in a while. We've both been super busy and we apologize for the wait. Thanks to all who have stuck by us through our unplanned hiatus. **

**The song Quinn sings is 'Hands Up' by Headley. :)**

**We hope to get the next 2 chapter up soon but please forgive us if it's not in the next few weeks. Love you all and sorry again! :)**


	17. Chapter 17

**Hey guys. It's random-gleekV here. This is just an update. :S**

**I know there hasn't been new chapters in a while. Sorry!**

**Here's the situation. My writing-mate, Zemmamma777 has gone to University. This is his first year and he is crazy busy. So he has had to stop her writing, which was just a fun side project.**

**Now it's in my hands. I wrote the Quinn chapters.**

**So now I'm giving you guys, the readers, a choice...**

**Option 1 is that I write both the Joe and Quinn chapters and continue the story by myself. I'll try my very best to channel my inner Joe and make the chapters and best as I can. :) I think I can manage that and update fairly regularly.**

**Option 2 is that I write one long closing chapter. It'll end the story and take place maybe in the future. That way, you'll get a bit of closure if you don't want me to continue this without my partner. I'm totally okay with this option, so don't feel like you're being mean to me by picking this.**

**I don't want to leave you guys hanging when you've all been so patient and faithful.**

**So let me know what you want. You can PM me your answer or leave it as a review. I'll do whatever gets the most votes. :)**

**I'm sorry it had to come to this, but I love you all and thanks so much!**


	18. Chapter 18

**Hey there!**

**The results are in, and can I just say that I am honored and actually quite surprised with the results. All off you chose option one. All of you. So it looks like I am going to be writing all the chapters myself, which is cool. I want to continue to post them in twos so I'll aim for updates every two weeks or so. Key words: or so. **

**LOL so I guess this update chapter is really just a filler so the Joe chapters can be odd numbers again. **

**So thanks for everything and click that next at the bottom of the page to keep on reading! **


	19. Chapter 19

Friday came soon. Not that it was a bad thing. The week went by fast. School was moderately hard. Quinn and I hung out after school a few times and went to her therapy a few times. Glee club was wild as usual. That girl named Rachel sang many songs but her voice is actually so good. And even the guys did a song as a joke. It was a cheesy girly song by Taylor Swift. But it was funny because it was a breakup song and all the guys pretended to cry and be a desperate chick. Seeing Puck imitate a sad girl must be the funniest thing I have ever seen.

But now it was Friday. Friday at lunch to be exact. I was walking down the hall. Quinn had to ask the teacher a question and said she's be a bit late for lunch. I had offered to wait with her and walk with her but she refused. I know she wants to walk by herself and have privacy but I'm worried. She'll refuse it you ask, but if you watch her walk, you can see her almost trip over her own feet. Or she'll momentarily pause as if she can't remember how to walk. She says its nothing but I know that's not normal.

I grabbed my lunch from my locker. I know you can buy lunch from the cafeteria but the food isn't the best. Except for the tater tots, as Mercedes said. She said they're 'da bomb'. But aside from that, its all pretty gross. So I bring my own food. Normally a sandwich, cut into four triangles.

I sat down at the table that was filled with Glee kids. It's our table. There are two seats left at the end. That's my seat. And Quinn's seat. It's not assigned seating, like I had thought at first. It's just that after weeks of eating lunch, you get into a certain pattern of seating.

"Hey Joe" Rory said as I sat down.

"Hello" I said, waving at him and the others.

"What are your plans for the weekend?" Tina asked me.

I shrugged. "Quinn and I are babysitting my neighbor tonight. Other than that, I have no idea. Why?"

"Some of us are getting together to work on Prom songs" Rachel said. "Mr. Schue hasn't asked us yet but it's only a matter of time."

"Prom songs?" I asked. I've never been to a prom before.

"Yes. So do you wanna sing with the guys or what?" Tina said.

"Wait...I'm sorry but you'll have to help me out here. Why are we singing and what's a prom?"

They all laughed. I guess they didn't know that I was serious. But I wasn't offended. Slowly, they realized that I wasn't joking.

"Right. Home schooled. Well, don't worry. Here's the deal. Prom is a school dance. But it's the dance of the year. Everyone gets a date and it's just super fun. It's a big deal" Tina said.

Puck chuckled. "Yeah, just ask Quinn. She'll tell you how big of a deal it is."

I don't think he meant that seriously and the smirk on his face told me he was making a joke. I made a mental note to ask Quinn anyways.

"Anyways, Figgins is too cheap for a real DJ so he gets the Glee club to sing for bits and an AV club member to plug in a iPod for the other half of the event" Brittany said. "It's super fun. So do you wanna sing?"

I nodded. "Sure, I guess."

"Cool. Sam, what song are you guys singing? Have you decided yet?" Tina called down the table.

Sam nodded and answered despite his mouthful of food. "We're either doing a Justin Bieber song or a One Direction song."

"Oh, classy" Santana rolled her eyes.

"Hey you" Quinn said, coming up behind me and gently tugging on one of my dreadlocks. I smiled as she sat down.

"Hello" I smiled at her.

She looked at my sandwich. "What's that, jam?" she asked.

"Yeah. And Nutella" I smiled.

She wrinkled her nose. "Ew, you eat that?"

"We ran out of peanut butter" I said. I held up one of my four triangles. "Would you care for a try?" I asked in my fake British accent.

Quinn hesitated but took it. She smelled it then pretended to gag. "I'll try it but I wanna see you try first."

I laughed then picked up my uneaten triangle. I shoved the entire thing in my mouth, making her laugh.

"Yum" I said with my mouth full, but it sounded like 'umm'.

Quinn tentatively tried the sandwich. She nibbled on the top corner and chewed slowly. Then she set it down, grabbed her water bottle and took a quick swig.

"Oh man" she said. "Joe, that's gross"

"Really?" I asked. "It's not that bad."

"It is."

"Well you know what? I didn't want to share with you anyways" I said and snatched back the one-point-less triangle I had given her.

Quinn laughed. "Fine. Be that way."

"I will."

"Good."

"Cool. Now so you still wanna babysit Macy with me tonight?" I asked. "Her mom said 6:30-ish."

Quinn nodded. "Yup. Can't wait."

"This is your chance to back out now" I said. "Macy is crazy. You might not be the same after it."

Quinn laughed. "I think I'll take my chances."

* * *

><p>After school, I went home by myself. Quinn was going to Santana's house because the two of them and Brittany were gonna catch up. I guess Quinn's been distant from her friends now that I'm in the picture. I do feel a bit guilty but when you love someone like I love her, it's hard to care. So I drove home alone. No one was home when I arrived, so I made myself a snack and went up to my room, where my laptop was waiting. The one thing that had been on my mind since it was brought up was prom. I had never been to a school dance and it sounded fun. Plus, I had seen a few on TV and it looked cool. So I looked it up online. Man, the internet is so useful. I learned a lot about Prom. I learned that girls go crazy with dress hunting. And there's a Prom King and Prom Queen. And guys have to ask girl to prom in a special way. I guess Quinn and I will be going so I guess I'll have to find a special way to ask her. A song seems to...normal for us. We sing songs to each other and together all the time so me singing isn't that big of a deal. I wanted this to be super special. I needed to think.<p>

But at the same time, I need to know if Quinn even wanted to go to prom. Prom means dancing and maybe she wasn't ready for dancing. I had to ask her. And I also wanted to know what Puck had meant earlier today when he said prom was a big deal to Quinn.

* * *

><p>Two hours later, I was eating dinner. I had to have an early dinner because I had to go next door to babysit Macy. With Quinn. Macy is so adorable so I was excited. I was also excited to hang out with Quinn. She had texted me and said she'd be over at 6-ish and I was to not pick her up because she wanted to walk. She was very firm on this even though I tried to argue. Arguing isn't very effective over text messaging. So I grabbed my guitar and decided to wait on the front porch. That is, if I don't get eaten alive by mosquitos first.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>AN**

**Hello there! So it's** random-gleekV** here. This is my first ever Joe chapter so I hope y'all thought it was satisfactory. :) Again, thanks for all the positive feedback and I'm glad you believe in me so much! (insert heart here)**


	20. Chapter 20

I walked to Joe's house. He had offered to pick me up but I refused. He's being really...clingy lately. Okay, that's mean. He's been protective. Overly protective, if you ask me. But in a way, it's cute.

It was already getting dark when I arrived. It was getting dark when I left too. Joe was sitting on his porch, playing his guitar. I could hear it all the way down the street.

When he saw me approach, he put his guitar in his house and walked out to meet me.

"Hey" he smiled.

"Hi there" I said as he hugged me. I loved his hugs.

"Ready?" he asked me. I nodded and we walked the ten meters from his house to Macy's house. Joe rang the doorbell. From the inside, we heard Macy yell "Mom! Joe is here! Joe is here!"

Joe and I laughed. I had babysat before. I had babysat for some neighborhood kids but they either grew up and didn't need me or moved. The last babysitting job, aside from Beth, was Kendra's triplets. That was years ago. That was also with Puck. Wow. Before my mind could wander down memory lane, the door to Macy's house opened. There stood Macy's mom, wearing a pretty black dress.

"Joe! And you must be Quinn. I recognize you from the park. I see that you're out of the wheelchair, just like Joe said. That's so wonderful" Macy's mother said.

"Joe!" a high pitched little girl voice came from the kitchen, followed by the stomping of feet. Macy came running down the hall with a huge grin on her face. She ran up to Joe and hugged his leg.

"Hey Macy!" Joe said to her.

Her blonde hair was in pigtails. But not just two; she had around ten. All over. She looked like Medusa. It was so cute.

"Macy, I like you hair" I told her with a smile.

Her mother snickered. There was a story behind this. "Macy, dear, tell Joe why your hair is like that."

Macy grinned. "It's like you!"

"Like me?" Joe asked with a laugh.

"Yup."

Her mother clarified. "She loves your dreadlocks and these pigtails are as close to dreadlocks as she can get. But she is thrilled. She wore them to school for the past four days. Her classmates think she's crazy."

Joe and I laughed.

"Rock on!" Joe told Macy and gave her a highfive.

Then Macy's father came down the stairs. He wore a tie and dress shirt.

"Ready to go?" he asked Macy's mother, who nodded and grabbed her purse.

"Okay, Joe you know my cell number. It's on the fridge just in case. Have fun. We'll be back around eleven-ish. Macy, be good, okay? I mean it" Macy's mother kissed her daughter and then she and her husband left, locking the door behind them.

"Macy, you remember Quinn, right?" Joe asked as we walked into the family room, which was really the playroom.

"Of course! You talk about her all the time" Macy said matter-of-factly. When she said that, she reminded me of Rachel.

"Does he now?" I asked Macy but shot Joe a look. He blushed. "What does Joey here say about me."

Macy laughed. "Some blabber about your eyes being prettier than a unicorn, which I said is a lie because everyone knows unicorns are the prettiest thing on earth. Also he says your hair is softer than Jilly."

"What's Jilly?" I asked.

Macy blinked at me. "Hold on, I'll get her."

She ran off.

"She has a toy cat named Jilly. She's actually allergic to cats so she pretends Jilly is real" Joe said.

I nodded.

Macy returned with a white plush cat. It had long 'fur' and was super adorable.

"This is Jilly" Macy said and handed me the cat.

"Jilly is cute. And really soft" I agreed, petting the cat.

Macy reached up and touched my hair. "Yeah but Joe is right. Your hair is softer."

"Aw, thanks" I said with a smile. This girl was absolutely adorable.

"Let's play a game" Macy said.

"Okay" Joe said. "What game?"

"Dolls" Macy said. She went over to the corner of the room where a large Barbie house was. She dragged it over to the center of the room. Joe and I sat on the floor.

Macy handed me a Barbie doll with brown hair. "You be Paula. She handed Joe the male doll. "You be Mark and I'll be Barbie."

"Who lives in the house?" I asked, fixing Paula's hair.

"I do. And you two are visiting me in my hillside mansion" Macy informed us.

"Fancy" Joe commented.

* * *

><p>We played dolls with Macy for an hour. It was quite amusing and something tells me Joe has been this before. In our little 'game' Paula and Mark went over to Barbie's hillside mansion for a lovely dinner, which started out okay until Barbie burnt the food and dinner was ruined. So she decided to go to the store and buy some cake which was yummy for everyone except Mark because he was allergic so he had to go to the hospital. But before the ambulance came, he died and Paula was so sad that she moved into Barbie'a attic and never came out again.<p>

Joe said that Macy's mom watches a lot of soaps on TV and Macy watches them with her. She is one odd little child.

"That was...quite a story" I told Macy as we cleaned up the dolls.

"Thanks" Macy replied.

"So now what?" Joe asked. He looked at the clock. It was seven thirty.

Macy shrugged. "I dunno."

"What about you?" I asked Joe. "What do you wanna do?"

Joe shrugged too. "Macy has to be in bed by 8:30."

"Do you sing too?" Macy asked me.

"I do" I answered. "Joe's in Glee club with me. Didn't he tell you that?"

"Yeah but are you good? Joe says you are but sometimes Mommy tells Daddy that he's a good singer and he is bad" Macy informed us.

I laughed. "What about you? Do you sing?"

Macy nodded. "Everyday."

"Tell her who your favourite singer is" Joe prompted.

"Miranda Cosgrove!" Macy yelled. "She's the coolest."

"I have no idea who she is" Joe said.

"She's an actor and singer. She stars on a show called ICarly or something" I said. Before you judge me, I was sick a few months ago and I watched a lot of stupid kids TV and that was one show. It was amusing so I watched a few episodes.

"Why don't you sing for us?" Joe told Macy. "I think Quinn would love to hear you sing."

Macy smiled and stood up. She took a deep breath and sang. She wasn't an awful singer. She was better than Sugar Motta. But she still had that little girl screechy voice and a bit of a lisp. "'Cause when I'm kissin' you my senses come alive. Almost like the puzzle piece I've been trying to find, falls right into place, you're all that it takes. My doubt fades away, when I'm kissing you."

Joe laughed. "That was good, Macy." He turned to me. "Did you hear that, Q? It's so your song!"

"What do you mean?" I asked.

Joe repeated the line. "When I'm kissin' you my senses come alive."

Joe was right. When he had first kissed me, my senses did come alive and I got some feeling back in my legs. It was quite funny how true that song was. I know Miranda Cosgrove is for little kids but I am so downloading that song when I get home.

"I don't get what you guys are talking about" Macy said frowning at us.

She sat down in front of Joe.

"Remember how Quinn was in a wheelchair a while ago? That was because she couldn't feel or move her legs. And one day, we went on a date and I kissed her and she was able to get feeling back in her legs" Joe explained to the little girl.

"Magic" she gasped.

I laughed.

* * *

><p>Macy was in her pink and blue footie pajamas. They were adorable.<p>

"Aren't you gonna take out your pigtails?" I asked her.

"Does Joe take his out?" she asked.

I knew the answer was no but I can't imagine sleeping on ten pigtails was comfortable and her hair looked messy.

"Yes" I lied. "And when he does, he looks like a lion."

"Roar" Joe played along.

"How about I help take your pigtails out and comb it so you look all pretty?" I asked.

"Who need to be pretty when they sleep?" Macy asked.

"Princesses. That's why it's called beauty sleep" I said. So Macy agreed to let me help. Her hair is so pretty and soft. Then Joe and I read her a story about squirrels before she went to sleep.

"Now what?" I asked Joe as we crept downstairs.

Joe shrugged. "Late night TV?"

I snickered. "It's not even nine o'clock."

Joe laughed. "Semi-late night TV?"

"Sure."

* * *

><p><strong>AN**

**It's me again! Hope you liked this chapter. **

**See you next week...hopefully. Two weeks max. I swear. :P**


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N **

**I'm back with another pathetic attempt at writing as Joe...lol. Enjoy ;)**

* * *

><p>Quinn and I were on the street. On a curb, actually. It was dark and the only form of light was the dim street light above us and the nauseating, flickering light of the icecream shop's neon sign behind us. Yes, we were getting icecream. And yes, it was almost midnight.<p>

Macy's parents had come home to find me and Quinn watching some stupid movie. Quinn recognized the actress, Sandra Bullock, so we watched it. It was kinda odd, this movie. It was about this lady who got her identity stolen or something. Macy's mother tried to pay us for babysitting, which I said was totally unnecessary, but she shoved a twenty in my hand and a twenty in Quinn's. That was ridiculous, in my opinion. So Quinn and I politely thanked her and left the house. I offered to drive Quinn home and as we were in the car, her stomach had rumbled. So then we decided that we'd use a portion of our babysitting money and get icecream. There's a pile of change and bills in the glove compartment of my car that Quinn and I call our 'Emergency Icecream Fund'.

* * *

><p>"So guess what I heard today?" I asked as I licked my icecream.<p>

"What?"

"I heard that our school has a Prom" I said. I had been thinking about the best way to bring up this topic. If Puck's comment had been right, this may be a touchy subject with her. And this way, if she tries to leave, she can't because I'm her ride.

"That we do" Quinn nodded. She had an odd tone in her voice. And with her comment, the ball was back in my court. Darn.

"Yeah, Tina and them told me about it at lunch" I continued. "I had no idea what it was so I looked it up after school."

"And what did you learn?" she asked, a small smirk on her face.

"Attire, songs...stuff like that" I listed.

"Well the songs at our Prom is what we can sing" Quinn scoffed.

"I heard. So what are your thoughts on Prom?" I asked, hoping I get more than a few words from her.

She licked her icecream slowly as she thought about her answer. "Proms are fun. Wild at times. It's, as Kurt Hummel says, the social event of the season."

"Yeah but are your thoughs? You're always so opinionated" I said.

She stared at me. And as soon as I saw the flash of her eyes, I knew she was suspicious. "Why are you asking?"

"Um, today Puck told me to ask you how big a deal Prom is to you" I stammered.

She gave a smug sort of smile. "Listening to Puck now, are we?"

I didn't reply.

"Take it from me, listening to him of all people is never a good idea" she said. I guess she wasn't mad.

"I just wanted to know what he meant" I admitted. What can I say? I'm a curious guy.

Quinn sighed. "Well, I guess you might as well know."

Know what? What was so secretive? It obviously must not have been a good story.

"Know what?" I asked, voicing my thoughts.

Quinn stared ahead at the dark side of the road. No cars had driven by yet. She sighed again.

"Last year was our Junior Prom. It promised to be huge. And even if it wasn't, it was our first glimpse at a Prom. For the first bit of my high school life, I was wildly popular, but Glee club and a series of bad mistakes led to me being just the pretty blonde loser. Sorry if I sound self centered. Anyways, as much as I love being in Glee, I needed to be popular again. I needed to be back on top. My sister had been through Prom already and I knew how important it was to girls. I also knew the fight of Prom Queen. It was the highest honor a girl could get and I wanted that so badly. So when the time came for campaigns, I went a bit overboard. Finn was my running mate and I had an attitude issue. Especially when it came to the thought of my crown being taken away. Long story short, secrets were revealed, harm was done and I slapped Rachel Berry. Not to mention that Kurt Hummel had won my crown. Prom was not my best moments, to say the least."

Wow. I bit my cone as I thought about Quinn's story. She always seemed so nice and pure and now it's like it's all been an act. Did she really slap Rachel? Why?

"Joe" she began. "Say something."

"That's quite a story" I said.

"You're not mad?"

"I can't change the past" I replied. "What's done is done."

"I'm sorry" Quinn said. "That was the old me. The ugly part of me. And don't say that I don't have an ugly part. I do."

I chuckled. "What about this year?" I asked. "Are you going to try and win again?"

"Would I sound vain if I said yes?"

I didn't reply.

"I've always wanted to win. It's been my goal since my sister's Prom. Call me crazy or self centered or vain but I really want this" Quinn said.

"So go for it" I said.

She glanced at me. "Really?"

"Sure" I shrugged. If this is what she wanted, then I had to support her. And if anyone deserved it, she did. Look what she's had to go through the last few months.

Quinn silently finished off her icecream cone and nodded.

Then she turned to me. "So what about you? Are you gonna run for Prom King?"

I shook my head and smiled. "No thank you."

"What? Why? I think you'd be a great King" Quinn said with that adorable smile that had been missing since we began talking about Prom.

"I'm still a newbie" I said. "Besides, Prom doesn't really sound like my thing." That was a lie. I was so going to Prom but in order to surprise her with whatever I was going to do when I asked her to Prom, I had to pretend I wasn't going.

"You're not going to Prom?" Quinn looked at me, shocked.

"It's not mandatory" I told her.

"Well, no, but who misses Prom? No one" Quinn answered herself.

"I do. I mean, I will" I said.

"What? No. No way."

"Yes. Yes way."

"No."

"Yes."

"You're coming."

"I'm not coming."

Quinn either realized she wouldn't win or decided that arguing wasn't gonna make me go. So she glared at me.

I looked at my watch. "Good morning, Quinn" I said.

"What?"

"Good morning. See, it's 12:30 so it's the morning now" I said.

She smiled. I think she was still upset about the fact that I'm refusing Prom so her smile quickly faded to a scowl.

I yawned.

She yawned.

"Are you tired?" I asked, digging in my pocket for my car keys.

"A bit" Quinn admitted.

"Well, are you ready to go?" I asked her.

She nodded and we both stood up and walked to my car.

I drove her home.

"I hope mom's not up waiting for me" Quinn said but it was mostly to herself. Then she turned to me.

"Bye" I smiled.

"See ya" she said. "Thanks for inviting me to babysit with you. Macy is so adorable. She idolizes you so much. And thanks for the icecream."

"You're welcome on both accounts" I said. "But for all we know, that could have been your twenty we paid with. So maybe I should thank you for the icecream."

She rolled her eyes. "Fine then. Thanks for driving to get the icecream that may have been paid for by you."

"You're welcome" I grinned. "See you tomorrow, probably."

Quinn smiled. "Yes. I'll text you then you can come over and learn the brilliance that is RockBand. It's a video game thing and it's fun. You'll love it." She was so enthusiastic about this.

"Can't wait" I said. Quinn leaned over and kissed me quickly. Then she hopped out of the car and I watched her go to her house.

It was still hard to believe that I am dating her. She was such an angel and I love her in every way.

Now, if only I had an idea for how to ask her to Prom...


	22. Chapter 22

With Joe bringing up Prom the other night and all the girls in the school going crazy over it, I had no choice to but to be excited. And I was, anyway. I was yet to buy a dress but I knew I was singing. I also had make campaign posters. I needed an angle. Something to get the votes because as we saw last year, the pretty blonde simply won't do. I needed something. Prom was in less than a month and I needed to be ready. Unfortunately, I lacked ideas.

* * *

><p>I heard a knock on my bedroom door. I was at my desk, doing homework and had my back to the door. It was obviously my mother probably with some snack. Yesterday it was cheese and crackers and the cheese was cut into little shapes. Mom used to do that when I was little and came home from school but after a while, she was busy and it stopped. But in her effort to tighten our mother-daughter bond, she's been bringing me pre-dinner snacks. And if I'm being honest, I enjoy it. Usually I am hungry by then but I'm too lazy to do something about it so I just wait for dinner.<p>

"Mhmm?" I said to my mother, without turning around. I was in the middle of an equation and if I stop, I'll have to redo the whole thing from the start. "What's for eats?"

"Mom said lemon chicken, I think" a voice said.

I spun around on the chair, forgetting the equation. I knew that voice. My sister.

"Hey!" I smiled.

"Hello" she said.

Her name was Frannie and she was real pretty. She was my role model when I was little. For a mom, she looked great.

"How are you?" I asked, getting up to hug her.

"Great. And you? I'm so sorry we weren't there when you had your accident; we were in China."

My sister and her husband, Darryl, and their two year old son, Tristan, were big travellers. They've been all over the place. And their most recent trip was to China. My sister called me when she heard of the accident, but this is the first I've seen of her in a month or so.

"How was that?" I asked.

"Super. I brought tones of pics" she smiled. I saw her eyes flicker down. To my legs, no doubt. "I see you're standing."

"Thanks for noticing. I see you're breathing" I replied with a laugh.

Frannie didn't smile. She rolled her eyes instead. "Are you okay? Does it hurt? Sit down."

She was totally overreacting, of course. But I sat down anyways. She pulled over my other chair in the room and sat across from me.

"I'm fine" I told her. "Seriously, I've been walking and dancing everyday."

"Dancing? Oh yes, you're still in that sing-song club at school, aren't you?"

"Glee club" I said. "And yes, it's fun."

"Good. That's great" Frannie said.

"Where's Darryl and Tristan? Wait, why are you here?" I asked.

Frannie smiled. "They're at home. I decided to come out here to visit you and mom. And Dad..."

"Dad?" I asked with a frown. "Why?"

Frannie sighed. "Because he's still our father."

"Not to me he's not" I said. After I was kicked out of the house, I never spoke to my father again. And I don't think mom has since he cheated and she left him. I can't believe Frannie still speaks to him.

"He misses you" she said quietly.

"Bull" I said. "He kicked me out. I am done with him."

"I know. We all know that. He knows that. But he still misses you. He misses all of us as a family" Frannie said.

"Hmf" I said and looked away. "Why are you still talking to him? And what's be been up to?"

"I accidentally called his cellphone one day after Mom left him. We started talking and now we speak every few months or so. He's been keeping busy at his new job" Frannie said.

"What about that chick he cheated on Mom with?"

"Who knows? My guess is she's gone."

I shrugged. I was pissed at him, even now. And what's worse, I was growing increasingly more upset at Frannie now. She's like Switzerland. Always neutral during war. I guess I'm more of a battler.

"But enough about Dad. How are you? And don't say fine. No one almost loses movement of their legs and says 'fine'" Frannie said.

"Good?" I offered.

She glared at me, but there was a small smile on her lips.

"Alright, alright. I'm doing well. I'm almost better. I still go to therapy once every week. Walking is pretty much normal, but I sometimes fumble a bit. It's nothing and it's slowly going away. I haven't full out ran yet. I've jogged a bit. Like when I'm late for class. Dancing is pretty good. I stumble often but that's decreasing too. I'm normally in the back so that's fine" I said.

"That's all facts. I want to know how you're doing. I'm your sister so you can tell me anything and mum's the word, I swear" Frannie said honestly. I could see in her eyes that she really cared.

"I'm okay. I mean, I've got a new perspective on life, I guess. I don't take things forgranted and I'm always trying to be safer. I wasn't being safe and that's why I was in that mess. Now I'm like obsessed with safety. My friend in Glee club, he's been in a wheelchair since he was eight or something. I was in a wheelchair for like a month. I feel so bad for him because once I was like him and now he gets to see me walk into the choir room everyday and dance and stand up. He'll never do that again..."

"Don't let that get you down" Frannie said to me gently.

"I'm trying not to. Artie's a nice guy and is always positive, which is amazing."

"That's great."

I nodded. "But other than that, I've been doing well. My friends have all been so supportive and nice. And Mom's been a huge help. I guess she's been trying to make up for when she wasn't there for me, but it helps."

"Yeah, Mom is like that. She says to me all the time that she regrets not standing up for you that night with your boyfriend...what's his name? Flipper?"

"Finn" I laughed. Flipper. That's a good one. I made a mental note to tell Finn about that one tomorrow.

"Finn, yes. Are you still dating him?" Frannie asked.

"Nope. We broke up soon after. Then dated for a bit last year. He's engaged now" I said.

"Engaged?" my sister gasped.

"Yeah, actually that's who's wedding I was going to when the accident happened. He's engaged to this girl in Glee club too. Actually, the star of the club. She can be a real brat but sometimes she's fine. And they're cute together" I informed her. "Cool. So if you're not dating Finn, are you dating your baby's real father? Mom mentions guys you see all the time so I've lost track" Frannie laughed.

"My baby's father was Puck and no, I'm not. I'm dating this boy named Joe Hart. He lives a few blocks away. And his mom and our mom know each other. It's crazy" I said.

"Really? Sick! So tell me all about Joe. What's he like? Is he cute?"

I blushed. "He's so nice. And yes, he is good looking. We were friends first and he has gone to all my therapy and stuff. Mom said he waited in the hospital the whole time before I woke up too. He has a heart of gold. He'd been home-schooled all his life and is a die-hard Catholic, but he's great. Oh, and he has dreadlocks. Don't hate, I think they're cool. When I was in my wheelchair, he was such la big help. He drove me to and from school even before we started dating. And one day he asked me out and after the date, which was amazing, he kissed me. And when he kissed, his hand was on my knee and I felt it! So now the joke is that the kiss was magic and I felt sparks and all that."

My sister squealed. "Oh my gosh! That's the cutest thing I've ever heard. Like it's straight out of a romance novel or something!"

I smiled and blushed harder.

My sister went on and on about how it's pure magic and fate and how Joe and I are obviously meant to be. This went on for about fifteen minutes before mom called us down for dinner.

* * *

><p>After dinner, Mom, Frannie and I sat in the living room and talked. It was 'gal chat' as my mom said. And I didn't hate it. It was good to be with them. Of course, most of the time was Frannie talking to Mom about their China trip. She showed us pictures. I think I'd like to go to China one day.<p>

When the phone rang and Mom jumped up claiming she was expecting an important call from work, Frannie turned back to me.

"So what's happening at school?" she asked.

"Nothing much" I answer. "Same old stuff."

"You're not failing?"

"No. I'm straight A's."

"That's good. Say, isn't it Prom season?"

"It is" I nod. "It's at the end of the month."

"Ooh!" my sister grinned. "Got a dress yet? We should go shopping tomorrow!"

"Not yet. And maybe" I said. "I wanna run for Prom Queen again."

"Think you'll get enough votes to win?" Frannie asked me.

I shrugged, even though I knew I probably could.

"Well, no harm trying" Frannie said.

"I need an angle though. It's a campaign and I need something to get votes" I said.

My sister laughed. "An angle? Wow, when I was in school, all you needed to win was popularity and a good smile."

"It's a different playing field now. You need to connect to the people to win. Besides, a lot of the students at McKinley are either dumb, mean or all of the above. Last year, they elected Kurt Hummel, a gay boy, as Prom Queen."

"Why?"

"Cruel joke" I said. "But Kurt handled it well. He's a sweet kid."

"So what's your angle going to be?" Frannie asked me.

"I don't know" I answered.

"What about the sympathy vote? Surely you can get that. I mean, you almost died and spent a month or so in a wheelchair."

By golly, Frannie was right! I had the people eating out of my hand already.

"Yes! That's not a bad idea" I smiled. I know it was a bit selfish and maybe even unfair, but I wanted this crown so badly. So, so badly.

"Don't go overboard, though" Frannie said. "You'll look pathetic."

I nodded, already formulating my plan. This would be good.

* * *

><p><strong>AN**

**So now you've met Frannie, Quinn's sister. She'll deffo be back so hopefully you guys all like her. She was fun to write because she had to be fun and young but wise and older. :)**

**Thanks for reading and I hope to update in the next few weeks. **


	23. Chapter 23

**Joe 23**

* * *

><p>"Do you have a lot of homework today?" Quinn asked me from the passenger seat as I pulled out of the school parking lot.<p>

"Not that much" I answered. "Why?"

"There's someone at my house that I want you to meet" she smiled.

"Who?" I asked.

"It's a surprise" Quinn said.

"Can I get a hint?" I asked.

"Um okay. It's a girl" Quinn said.

"Gee, thanks, that narrows it down" I laughed.

"It does! I just cut out like three billion options" Quinn grinned.

"Okay so when did this mystery female arrive?" I asked. I didn't remember someone there this morning when I picked Quinn up for school.

"Last night. But she left this morning to go visit someone so you missed her. She's back now" Quinn informed me.

"So I take it she doesn't go to school" I said.

"Correct. She's done with that."

I nodded. I had no idea who it would be.

Sure enough, there was a small silver car in the driveway of Quinn's house.

I parked the car and Quinn and I got out. I followed Quinn up the steps and to the door. Quinn opened the door.

She put a finger to her lips to signal me to be silent. I nodded and we quietly kicked off our shoes. I had no idea why we were being so quiet, but I felt like a total ninja. Quinn and I creeped down the hall. We could hear music playing in the kitchen.

Quinn and I peered around the corner. In the kitchen, dancing around like a fool, was some blonde lady. I say lady because she was much older than a teenager but didn't look old. My guess was early thirties, late twenties.

She didn't notice us.

"FRANNIE!" Quinn yelled, startling the lady.

She jumped, and turned around, her face in a glare but red all the same.

Quinn laughed. "Having fun?"

Frannie turned down the radio from a little portable speaker system that could hook up to an iPod. She had bowls and baking supplies set out all around her.

"You startled me. And you brought a boy? Ew, Quinn, give me some warning when you bring other people over" Frannie said.

I awkwardly stood there and smiled.

Frannie stared at me. Then a smirk came. "Wait a second! Boy, dreadlocks, good looking! You must be Joe!"

I nodded and Frannie energetically shook my hand. "Joe with the magic lips, or so I hear."

I blushed.

"I never said that!" Quinn protested, her face equally as red.

"And who are you?" I asked slowly.

Frannie smiled. "Frannie. I'm Quinn's older, cooler, prettier and more successful sister."

"And cockier" Quinn added.

I knew that name was familiar. My mom had mentioned that Quinn had a sister named Frannie once and Quinn had brought her up once too.

"Nice to meet you" I smiled. She did look a lot like Quinn. Not as pretty, though. Her hair was also longer.

"Nice to meet you too. Quinn told me all about you. You two are like a fairy tale couple. Man, I nearly cried when she told me about your first kiss. Soooo romantic" Frannie said.

I smiled. Frannie was the kinda person that you just couldn't hate. Of course, I don't hate anyone. That's a sin.

"So what have you been up to today? How was your visit?" Quinn asked, sitting down at the table. Her tone had gotten a bit hostile.

Frannie sighed. "Fine. A bit weird, though. I can't say I'm in a rush to see him again anytime soon."

Quinn was silent.

"Anyways, after I came here and got bored because no one was home. So I was in the middle of making oatmeal cookies when you so very rudely came and scared the bajeebers out of me" Frannie said.

"Yum" Quinn said. "Well, please continue."

Frannie nodded. "Joe, sit down."

I sat down.

* * *

><p>I ended up staying for dinner. Quinn's mom had come home and she made some macaroni and cheese that was really good and salad. The four of us talked about stuff. I learned that Frannie is married and has a son named Tristan. I learned that Frannie and Quinn have small debates on things like if their mother put too much salt on the salad or not. I learned that Quinn used to copy Frannie when she was little. I learned that Frannie once locked Quinn in a bathroom for five hours because Frannie had a study date with a cute boy and she didn't want Quinn bugging her.<p>

I guess by 'we talked' I mean 'they told me stuff and I listened'. Which was okay. It was kinda weird being with three girls. For my whole life it was always me, my dad and my mom so there was more guys than girls in the house. Now I was the only guy and it was odd.

Frannie is super nice. She asked me a million questions and seemed genuinely interested in the answers.

The best part was Quinn. She was all smiles, which I loved. She has a beautiful smile when it's genuine. And today, it always was. She seemed to enjoy Frannie's presence. I have a feeling that Frannie is one of the few people who totally understand Quinn on levels that no one in New Directions can match. I'd like to say that I can too but sometimes I feel like she's always thinking and some days my head just likes to be empty.

Quinn's mom also seemed exuberant. I think that it had to do with the fact that her two girls are happy and getting along and spending time with her.

* * *

><p>"Frannie, when are you leaving?" I asked. I had to leave after dinner because I did still have homework to do.<p>

"The day after tomorrow" she said, handing me my coat.

"Cool" I nodded. "See you again, maybe."

"For sure" Frannie nodded and hugged me.

Quinn kissed me before I left. As I turned to leave, I heard Frannie ask, "Did you get new feelings with that kiss too?" to which Quinn replied, "Yes, actually, I now feel like punching you."

I laughed.

Frannie was fun. And in fact, Frannie may just be who I need.


	24. Chapter 24

Frannie and I did go shopping for my Prom dress. It was after school on Friday. I never do homework on Friday night, as my own personal reward for keeping such a great average, so Frannie and I went to the mall. We picked up dinner on the way there, which was fried chicken and curly fries and chocolate shakes.

"Any dress style you're looking for specifically?" Frannie asked me as we looked through rows and rows and rows of dresses.

"I dunno. Last year I had a sparkly blue dress. It was pretty. And it matched my eyes" I said.

"So you want a blue dress?"

"No, I think I'll try another colour. But I want the dress to be elegant."

"So a long dress? Short dresses say tramp but long dresses say majestic" Frannie told me. As if I didn't know.

"Yes, a long dress for sure" I said. Plus, I wanted it to cover my legs; it'd make me look more insecure. But I wasn't going to tell Frannie that.

"Nice. Okay what about this?" Frannie held up a yellow and orange dress with a halter neck line and ruffles.

"I'd look like Big Bird on fire" I laughed.

"Harsh" Frannie said and put the dress back. "So aside from length, what else do you want? Straps? Ruffles? Multi-colours?"

"I don't know. I guess I never really thought much about it" I said. It was true, I hadn't. Two months ago, I didn't even know if I'd be able to walk again. Prom dresses weren't top of my list.

"Okay but think about it now" Frannie said. "Close your eyes. Picture yourself getting crowned Prom Queen. You're wearing only the most elegant of dresses. What's it look like?"

So I did. I pictured that. I saw myself staring out at the crowd of people as Kurt, last year's Queen, crowns me. I'm staring out and in the crowd, smiling at me is Joe. I look down at my dress. Because I'm just imagining it, it's blurry, but there's no mistaking the fact that it's gorgeous. And I know what I want.

I open my eyes and Frannie is staring at me.

I smiled. "Okay it must be blingy but not ridiculous. And it has to be a solid colour; no ugly pattern."

Frannie nodded and flipped through the rack of dresses.

There was a lot of dresses here. Which one would be the one?

* * *

><p>"Oh my gosh. Quinn, it's stunning. Absolutely stunning. This is the one, if you ask me" Frannie gushed.<p>

I laughed. "You said that about the last one."

"Yeah but I mean it now!"

It really was lovely. It was purple satin, and it had little shiny jewels on the waistline and on the two thin straps. The front was pleated neatly and the bottom of the dress was ruffly. It went down to my ankles. It was perfect. I felt like a princess.

"What do you think? Do you like it? Is it- are you crying?" Frannie jumped up from her chair and ran up to me. She stared me in the eye. "You are! That's it! Wrap it up! You are getting this dress!"

"It really is gorgeous" I said, looking at my reflection in the mirror.

"Is it ever!" Frannie said. "You're like a princess."

"Get my phone and take a picture" I told her and Frannie did.

"So pretty" Frannie smiled. Then she looked up at me. "And before you object, I am paying for this. You're my sister and it's happening."

* * *

><p>At home, Mom made me put the dress on again so she could see. She cried. Then I went upstairs and Skyped with Mercedes and Santana and Brittany and showed them the dress. I think Brittany cried.<p>

I was super excited now. I had the perfect dress. I have the perfect campaign plan. I will win this.

I was up late that night. I was making campaign posters. I still had my wheelchair so I sat in it and took pictures of myself so you could tell that I was in it without it being the focal point.

When I was done, my posters were bright and pretty and elegant. My name was all over them along with pictures. With them, and my plan to walk a bit slower and maybe with a limp for the next while, I was sure to win. I had to win. I needed to win. Prom Queen was as good as mine.

* * *

><p>"I meant to ask you something the other day when I was at your house" Joe said.<p>

"Okay, ask away" I smiled.

I had gone over to Joe's house for a moment because my mom wanted me to drop off some home design magazines for his mom and I try to walk a few kilometres every Saturday to keep my legs in shape.

So Joe and I were standing on his front porch. I was only supposed to be there for a minute or so but it's been fifteen minutes and I don't think I'm going anywhere in the next fifteen minutes either.

"Remember when you were talking to Frannie and you asked how her visit went? You seemed upset or sad...Why?" Joe asked.

Oh.

"Oh" I said. "Yeah, um, Frannie went to go see our father."

I could see sympathy flash on Joe's face. I think I've mentioned my father only once or so to him. He didn't know much, but he knew that I wasn't thrilled with him or our family dynamic.

"Oh. She still talks to him?" Joe asked. He knew I didn't and my mother didn't and he knew why.

"Yeah. I dunno why, but she does" I mumbled.

"You should too" Joe said. "You know, the Bible says you should honour your mother and father. He is still your father."

I frowned. Joe didn't know about how my father kicked me out. He didn't know anything other than that he cheated on my mother. Either way, Joe's comment bugged me.

"You have no idea what he did to me, to my mother or anything. I will never talk to him. Ever. He is done in my life" I said. I know it was harsh but I was a bit upset now.

"What if Jesus didn't shut out his father?" Joe began calmly, going into full preacher mode.

"Joe, please stop. I don't want to hear it" I said.

Joe sighed and stared at me.

I stared down and felt a tear roll down my cheek, which I was quick to wipe away with my sleeve.

After a moment of awkward silence, I spoke.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get mad" I said. "I don't really like talking about him."

Joe hugged me. "I won't bring it up again" he said.

"One day" I said quietly. "One day I'll tell you it all."

"When you're ready" Joe said gently.

"Well, I better go" I said, breaking out of his embrace.

"See you tomorrow?" Joe asked with a smile.

"Yeah, hey, tomorrow after church, you and your parents are welcome to come over for lunch" I said.

"Righteous" Joe grinned. "See you" he said as I stepped off the porch and on to his driveway.

"Bye!" I waved at him.

* * *

><p><strong>AN**

**I know it's been a while. I'm sorry. But I got big things in mind for this story. :P **

**Thanks to all you readers and followers and reviwers. I adore you. :P**


	25. Chapter 25

**Joe's POV**

Like planned, my parents and I went over to Quinn's house after church. It was fun. Frannie chatted animatedly with my dad about her travels. And like always, my mom and Quinn's mom laughed and talked like the best friends they are.

That left Quinn and I. Quinn had changed out of her church dress and now wore jeans and a Tshirt. Her short hair was pulled back into a short ponytail and the only makeup she had on was mascara. It was not attire Quinn normally wore to school. But I think she looked wonderful. And I think she caught me staring once because she blushed and awkwardly shifted in her seat.

Frannie made lunch for us. She made this really good salad and we had these pressed chicken sandwiches made on a George Forman grill.

After lunch, I knew time was running out. My mom would say that we don't want to overstay our welcome and we'd leave.

So before that could happen, I knew I had to speak up. So when Frannie was in the kitchen making coffee for the adults, I made my move. I took a few plates in so it looked like I was helping clear the table.

Frannie was loading some plates into the dishwasher when I came in.

"Hey Joe!" she grinned at me.

"Hey. Can I talk to you?" I asked, keeping my voice low.

"You are, silly" she laughed.

I smiled. "I need to ask you something. You have to keep it a secret, though."

"Is it about Quinn?" she asked, her voice low too.

I nodded. "It's nothing bad, I promise. It's just that you probably know her best so I need your help."

"I'm actively listening" she said.

"Well, as you know, Prom is coming up. Quinn is really into it but I told her I wasn't going to go-"

"What? Why not?" Frannie interjected.

"I told her that to fool her. I am gonna go and I want to ask her to go with me in a really radical way. A special way that'll surprise her. You know her well, probably better than I do, so what should I do that will be both unexpected but meaningful?" I asked.

Frannie grinned at me and jumped up and down quietly. "Oh, Joe! You're so sweet!"

I blushed. She was so excited.

"So any ideas?" I asked.

"Yes! You came to the right person!" Frannie said. "Okay listen up. Here's what I think you should do..."

* * *

><p>So Frannie went into great detail when telling me her idea. And her plan was utterly brilliant. Her plan was the exact reason that I went to her. She didn't let me down. It was smart, romantic, fun, and even I could tell that Quinn would love it.<p>

"Frannie, I love it" I told her. "So amazing and perfect!"

"You think?"

"Yes! Thank you so much!" I said. "Thank you!"

Frannie smiled. "No problem. Too bad I'll be gone tomorrow. But the next time we see each other, you have to tell me how it turns out."

I nodded. "Of course. Man, I'm so psyched now!"

"So psyched about what?" Quinn's mom asked, coming into the room with a stack of dirty dishes.

And I panicked. I did something awful. I told a lie.

"Oh, um, I was just telling Frannie about what this kid in Glee club was saying when Mr. Schue said we'd be wearing um...bolo ties for our next performance" I said.

"Bolo ties?" Quinn's mother said. "How absurd."

I shrugged. "Well, that's Mr. Schuester for you."

Frannie laughed. "He sounds like a real character."

I was glad she was playing along.

"Hmmm. Well, is the coffee done?" Quinn's mother asked.

"It is" Frannie nodded. "Here, Joe, wanna set out the mugs for me, please?"

I nodded and took them out to the dining table.

Quinn was talking to my mom about schools. She had a smile on her face. It was quite rewarding to know that if Frannie's plan goes as planned, that pretty smile will be even bigger, brighter and better.

* * *

><p>When we went home, the first thing I did was race upstairs to get started. I also texted Sam. I think that out of all the Glee guys, I'm closest to Sam. He knew about Quinn and I before we were even a thing. Plus he's in God Squad with us. Luckily, Sam agreed to help me out.<p>

After two hours of work and planning, it was ready. Time to put my -er, Frannie's- plan into effect!


	26. Chapter 26

**Quinn's POV**

I was getting weird looks from people all day. At first it was because I was purposely limping a bit more when I walked in the halls so people would see. But then I was getting smirks from Puck and Sam and a few Glee people and I know none of them would notice my limp. Puck's so dumb sometimes. But I knew better to ask. I didn't see Joe much today. He drove me in the morning and I saw him in class, but he was gone at lunch. He also said he was going to Finn's with a few guys to practice a song for Glee and he couldn't drive me home after school. But he apologized like twenty times. And I was actually okay with it. I didn't have any homework so my backpack would be light when I walked.

* * *

><p>I walked to my locker after school. Taped to the door was a folded piece of paper. I opened it and right away recognized Joe's slanted scrawl.<p>

'_Hey Quinn. Can you do me a favour and pick up something for me on your way home? I ordered (and paid for) a book at the bookstore and it came in. The manager knows my name so just tell her you're picking it up for me. Thanks! -Joe_'

I smiled. Joe was constantly reading and always informed me of the great new book he was reading.

So I set off for the bookstore. Luckily, it was on the way home. I went in the dark bookstore. Some old eighties tune was playing on the speakers overhead. I walked over to the desk where a middle-aged lady stood.

"I'm picking up a book for Joe Hart" I told her.

Her eyes flicked up to me then she smiled. "Of course. Hold on a moment."

She went off to the back room and came back with a book. It was a thick book with a closeup of an orange dragon on it. Typical nerdy Joe.

"Thanks" I said and took the book. As I left the bookstore, I noticed a slip of paper sticking out of the book. I pulled it out. It was a pink piece of cardboard the size of a sticky note. On it, was the letter 'M' written in black marker. I flipped it over and gasped. On the back was Joe's slanted writing again.

'_Thanks for picking that up. Are you hungry? Across the street is a bakery. Someone is waiting for you there. -JH_'

What the heck was going on? I wasn't hungry...well, maybe a little. I walked across the street to where the little bakery was. It was a family-owned shop and looked like a dump, but it served the best soft pretzels.

In the small shop was Sam

"Hey Quinn" he smiled at me.

"What's going on?" I asked, skipping greetings.

Sam gave me a sly smile. "I can't say. Just go with it."

"Who put you up to this?" I asked.

"I can't say" he said again.

"Well what can you say?" I asked.

Sam smiled. "I can say that I have something for you." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a voucher for a free soft pretzel. He handed it to me, shoved his hands in his pockets and turned to leave.

"Thanks Sam" I said. He smiled at me before he left.

I walked up to the counter and received my soft pretzel. It was warm and salty and tasted like magic. Just as I was getting up to throw out my napkin, I noticed another pink note folded in it. On this one, it had a large O on it. MO? OM? What? I flipped it over and on the back was another note from Joe.

'_I hope Sam didn't spoil anything...or eat your pretzel! Can you do me another favour? I need you to go to the florists. My mom ordered some bouquet or something for the dining room table. Can you pick it up? Again, it's paid for. Thanks! -JH_'

It must be a prank. The guys in Glee have been on a pranking spree. All week they've been pulling stupid jokes on each other. It's a yearly thing and Joe tells me in detail of every silly prank pulled. Normally the girls aren't involved in the pranks. It's the guys' thing and we have no problems letting them have it. But now it seems I'm involved.

But I decided to go along with it anyway. After all, it was a flower shop. And if Joe was right, it was for his mom, who is super nice.

So I went to the florist. It was a large room filled with many, many bright flowers. The place smelled wonderful. Again, I went to the counter.

"Hi, I'm picking up an order for Hart" I said.

The man gave me a smile that looked a bit more than casual and handed me a bouquet from a display behind him. The bouquet was gorgeous pink roses. They were so pretty.

"Thanks" I said, taking the bouquet.

"Enjoy" he called as I left the store.

I was going to turn around and say that the flowers weren't for me, but it would be a waste of time for both of us.

As I was walking down the street, I noticed something in the flowers. Hidden in a rose, blending in with the colour, was another pink slip of paper. I pulled it out. On one side was another letter. It was an 'R'. Now I had R, M and O. ORM? MOR? ROM? MRO? OMR? RMO? This was making no sense.

I flipped over the note to find another message from Joe.

'_Next go to the place of our first date. I don't know about you, but for me, it was pretty great. -JH_'

I rolled my eyes. Leave it to Joe to try and rhyme. One day he told me that he could rap freestyle and so I gave him random topics to rap about. His topic was fruit and he tried to rhyme kiwi with blueberry.

So I headed to the park. But no one was there. Well, there were people, but no one I knew. I walked up the small hill to where we had sat under the tree and had our picnic that sunny day we had our first date. Gosh, that day seems forever ago. Sure enough, taped to the tree, I found another pink note. On this was a large question mark instead of a letter. On the back was a message.

'_Look East!_'

So I looked east. What I saw was a bunch of trees. And Joe. He was standing between the tree trunks and even though he was too far away to see, I knew he was smiling. I waved and he jogged over.

"Hey" he said.

"Hey...What's going on?" I asked.

Joe winked. "You'll see. I see you got the flowers. Thanks." He took them from me with his left hand, put them behind his back and grabbed them with his right hand. "Which reminds me, these are for you" he grinned, handing me the bouquet.

I laughed. "For me?"

He nodded.

"Did you seriously get me to pick up my own flowers?" I asked. It was actually funny how he conned me into it.

Joe smiled. He looked quiet proud of himself.

"Well, they're beautiful. Thank you" I said.

"Now, I have one last thing for you" Joe said. He reached into his pocket and pulled out another pink card. "Read the message first."

So I did.

'_Rome without the E and it starts with P._'

That was the most confusing of all the messages. But then I flipped the card over and saw a 'P'.

And suddenly it all made sense. Rome without the E was Rom, all of which were letters I had. It starts with P so it said PROM and then I had the question mark.

PROM?

Woah. I was not expecting this. At all.

* * *

><p><strong>AN**

**I know Quinn's chapter was longer than Joe's but I didn't want to give away anything until this chapter! :D What did you think of Joe's way to ask her to Prom?**

**Sorry it's been three weeks. I get busy. I'll try to update in two weeks. :D**

**Thanks to all the reviewers!**


	27. Chapter 27

**Joe's POV**

I felt like flying. I felt like going to the highest mountain peak and shouting out loud. Quinn Fabray said yes to Prom! I am over the moon. I can't believe it. Prom was only five days away.

"Mom! Mom!" I yelled as I ran inside.

My mom came racing into the hallway, a look of panic on her face.

"What? What's wrong? Are you hurt?" she asked frantically.

"She said yes! Quinn said yes!" I said excitedly.

"She did? Oh, Joe, you must he elated!" my mom said hugging me.

"I am!"

"I'm so happy for you! Your first school dance and you're going with such a lovely girl" my mom gushed. "Wait until your father hears! Oh my!"

This went on for the next three days. Every time Mom would see me, she'd give me this huge smile and remind me how many days until Prom. As if I needed a reminder. And my dad would give me a firm nod and a pat on the back. Like 'congrats for getting a girl'. I guess since we've never had to deal with this before thanks to being home schooled so he seems a bit more awkward than I'm used to.

Prom was just around the corner. There were people selling tickets in the hall and even though I told them I already had a ticket, they still asked me seven times. As I turned the corner, I saw a poster. It was Quinn's Prom Queen campaign poster. She had on a perfect smile, but it looked a bit forced to me. I guess that's because I've seen the true Quinn smile. But one thing that I was surprised to see was her in her wheelchair. I knew she still had it but didn't use it. So to see her in it was weird. Those pictures were taken after she could walk. But my thoughts were distracted by Rachel, passing me in the hall.

"Hey Joe, are you excited for tomorrow?"

"Sure am" I said with a smile.

"It's so nice to see Quinn with someone so sweet" Rachel said, kindly smiling at me. "But I think you both would have a lot more fun at Anti-Prom."

"Sorry Rachel. This is my first school dance and I want the full experience."

"But you could have the full and new Anti-Prom experience too" Rachel persisted.

"Nah" I said, quickly. "And besides, Quinn really wants Prom Queen."

"That title would be nice" Rachel sighed longingly. "But between you and me, I'm a shoo-in for Anti-Prom Queen."

"Well good luck with that" I said and turned down the hallway. "Bye."

* * *

><p>The next day was weird. No one went to school. All the girls went to get their hair and nails done and freak out about Prom. None of the guys, not even the gay ones, were this crazy so all the guys just stayed home and did whatever. Puck and a few guys invited me to a Call of Duty Marathon Tournament thing but I declined. I've seen that game and I think it's awful. It's all about war and guns and death. So I spent the day reading my books and watching Cake Boss, which is a super amusing show.<p>

But finally, it was Prom time. I put on a slick tux and adjusted my hair, grabbed the white and purple corsage I had gotten her, and got in my car. I had to basically pry my mother off me. She kept hugging me and saying how dashing I looked. It was only when I was in the car and slowly driving down the dark street that I got nervous even though I couldn't quite pinpoint what I was nervous for. Either way, I arrived at the Fabray house only minutes later. The porch lights were on and I'm almost positive I saw Quinn's face watching me pull in from her bedroom window. I got out of the car and slowly walked to the door. It was only five seconds after I rang the doorbell before Quinn's mom yanked open the door with a huge grin.

"Joe! Look at you! So dashing!"

I chuckled. "My mom said the same thing."

"Great minds think alike!" she laughed. Then she turned and looked up the staircase. "Quinny! Your hot date is here! Come on!"

I heard Quinn snicker upstairs. Then she appeared at the top of the stairs. As she came down into the hallway light, I saw how stunning she looked. Her hair was in a silky bun and her dress was a rich purple and her eyes glistened.

"Hey" Quinn said to me. I think I might have been lost in her beauty because the next thing I heard was her giggling and her mom running off to grab the camera.

"Are you okay?" Quinn asked me, staring at me with concern.

"Yeah I just...you look amazing" I said with a smile and handed her the corsage. "I love your dress."

"Thanks" she smiled brightly and put it on. "And you look most sophisticated" she said in her fake British accent, making me laugh. We haven't used those accents in a while.

"Say, my dear, what do you say we hop in the buggy and go to a Prom?" I said in my accent.

She linked her arm with mine. "I say! What a splendid idea, dear chap! We'll have a right good time!"

We were laughing so hard we were almost in tears when Quinn's mom hurried up with the camera and made us pose for ten pictures.

"Ugh, Mom, we're leaving now! You've taken like fifty thousand pictures" Quinn groaned.

"So I want to document this moment. Sue me" her mother replied.

"Goodbye mother" Quinn sighed and took my hand and pulled me put of the house.

"Have fun!" she called after us.

"Twenty bucks says she's racing to the computer to email them to your mother" Quinn said as we got into my car.

"Thirty bucks says my mother will take those pictures and have them framed by the time I get home" I replied and we burst into giggles again. I know it was supposed to be a serious and love-filled moment, but it felt more natural to be cracking jokes and being silly. I love that more.

"You do look gorgeous tonight" I said, calming down.

I saw Quinn smile out of the corner of my eye. "Are you saying I don't look gorgeous any other night?"

"No! No, that's not what I-"

She laughed. "Relax, I'm only kidding. Thank you."

"Are you excited?" I asked.

"Yes. I am" Quinn said slowly.

"Well that doesn't sound too convincing" I said.

"I'm nervous, Joe. I've spent years obsessing over being Prom Queen and now is the moment to find out if I'm gonna get that title" Quinn explained in a serious tone.

I would have loved to tell her that she would defiantly win and to tell her that it'll all work out. I would have loved to reassure her. But I didn't want to lie and I had no idea how tonight will play out. I'd hate to get her hopes up and then have them come crashing down.

"Well if it makes you feel any better, though it probably won't, you'll always be my Prom Queen" I said.

She laughed. "Aw, thanks. And even though you didn't run, you can be my Prom King."

I smiled and pulled into the busy parking lot. There were a few limos parked outside the school too.

"I apologize that my car isn't a limo" I said as we got out of the car.

"Oh I don't care. Limos are overrated anyways" Quinn said.

I took her hand in mine.

"Are you ready?" I asked as we stared at the school.

She nodded.

"Prom time" we both whispered.


	28. Chapter 28

**Quinn's POV**

Joe and I walked into the school. It was swarming with people. Girls in luxurious dresses and guys in slick black suits. As we walked in, I saw several people turn to look at us. This was my last chance to make an impression so I gave a wide, prize winning smile. Beside me, I felt Joe recoil a bit. I think he knew that it wasn't a genuine smile. Or maybe he was nervous. I was.

"Quinn! You look so hot!" Mercedes said, coming up and hugging me.

"You too, girl!" I grinned a real smile.

"And Joe, you look so handsome" Mercedes said to Joe, who smiled politely at her.

"Sup bro" Sam said, coming up behind Mercedes and nodding at Joe.

"Hey man" Joe said. "Ready for our song?"

Sam grinned. "You know it."

"What song is this?" Mercedes asked. The guys, meaning Sam, Joe, Artie, Rory and Mike, were singing some song at Prom and they've told no one. Well, except Mr. Schue, who kept their secret.

"You'll see" Sam said. "Don't worry; it's a classic."

Mercedes rolled her eyes and I laughed.

"I still wish Rachel and Kurt and all the others were here too" Mercedes said sadly.

I nodded. As much as they got on my nerves often, they were in a way like my family and I wanted them all to be here for our Senior Prom.

"Maybe they'll show up" Joe said.

"Maybe" Mercedes sighed. Then she smiled a bit more. "Well, we'll see you, okay?" And with that, her and Sam disappeared in the crowd.

* * *

><p>Prom. It's been going on for almost two hours and I have enjoyed every single gorgeous minute of it. We're all dancing and singing and having a great time. I've been to every school dance we ever had but Prom is obviously the best one. And Joe's face can attest to that too. Mind you, this is his first dance. But his face is lit up with a huge smile and his eyes are twinkling and he's dancing up a storm. The music was great, which was lucky. Nothing ruins a dance like junky music.<p>

"Having a good time?" Joe asked me, as we slow-danced to some Ne-Yo song. His arms were around my waist.

"The best" I answered, resting my head on his chest. "You?"

"Well, I don't have anything to base it on, but this is really neat" Joe said.

When the song ended, Joe smiled and said it was time for him and the guys to sing.

"Can't wait" I grinned as Joe went off.

Only a few moments later, Joe, Mike, Rory, Sam and Artie came onto the stage with smirks. Mercedes and I smiled to each other because their smirks can only mean it was going to be a really entertaining performance. And it was. We knew what song it was just by hearing the first three notes. It was One Direction's 'What Makes You Beautiful'. The guys did great with it. It was really sweet because Joe kept staring at me as he sang.

"Quinn, look!" Mercedes said, elbowing me during the song and forcing me to take my eyes off of Joe. Coming in the gym was Finn and Rachel, followed by Kurt and Blaine.

"They came!" Mercedes grinned.

I smiled. It was great that they ended up coming.

"Rachel looks so pretty" Mercedes commented.

She did. Her dress was long like mine and a pretty pink peach colour. Her hair was smooth and straight and she stood next to Finn, who looked good too. Kurt and Blaine snuck in behind them but trailed in the back. I noticed Blaine's hair was still slick with gel, which Brittany will not be pleased about.

"Hey guys!" Mercedes greeted them happily.

"Hi" Rachel smiled. "Did we miss much?"

"It's been super fun" I chirped.

"How was Anti-Prom?" Mercedes asked.

"Lame" Finn bluntly said. "That's why we're here."

"Well welcome" Mercedes said and stepped aside so they could pass.

"And vote Quinn for Prom Queen!" I called after them loudly so they and other people standing nearby could hear me.

I walked over to the punch bowl, where Sue glared at me.

"Hey Quinn" three girls said. For the life of me, I couldn't remember their names but I'm pretty sure two of them were in my English class.

"Hi" I said, displaying my prize-winning smile.

"We just wanted to say that we voted for you for Prom Queen" one girl said. She was in a ruffly blue dress and her hair was in thick curls.

"And I love your dress" another girl said. She was on the chubbier side and wore a short pink dress.

I gave them a bright smile. "Thank you. And thank you so much for voting for me. You know, being Prom Queen has always been a dream for me. And then when I got in my accident..." I paused to take a sad sigh. "...I was sure no one would vote for me. So thank you for helping me make my dream come true. It's people like you who boost my spirits when I go through that painful physical therapy." I gave them a watery smile.

One of them was in tears and they all hugged me and walked off.

"What was that?" a voice behind me demanded. I froze, knowing who it was: Joe.

I turned a smile at Joe. "Hey. Your song was really great."

Joe ignored that. "What was that stuff you were telling those girls?"

I gave a short laugh as if to say it was all a joke. "Nothing. Those girls just told me they voted for me."

"And you told them some sob story" Joe said. "You're using your accident to get votes."

I froze. Joe seemed really upset about this. "I don't see what the big deal is" I said smoothly. "You know how much I want this. You said I should go for it."

"Well, yeah, I never thought you'd go for it like that" Joe said. The next part was a whisper. "I thought you were better than that."

"I am" I said. "I just really want this."

"By lying?"

"I didn't lie...much" I said, my voice quivering.

Joe put his hands in his pockets and stared down at the floor.

"Are you mad?" I asked finally.

He looked up at me and shook his head. "No. I'm just disappointed."

I felt tears in my eyes and I turned and hurried away. I ran into the hall, where I paced around, calming myself down. The worst part of it all was that Joe was right. I should have just tried to win fairly. But at the same time, the voice in the back of my mind was saying that I didn't just want this, I needed this. I've wanted to win since I was little. I wasn't even playing dirty; I didn't sabotage anyone else.

But Joe's face was enough to make me want to drop out of the race. I was so ashamed.

"Hey Quinn" Rachel said, coming into the hallway.

"Hello" I said cooly.

"You look really nice" Rachel said.

"You too" I said. "Your dress is gorgeous."

She blushed. "I just wanted to say that I voted for you."

If the last ten minutes of my life never happened, I would have told Rachel the same sob story I told those girls.

"Thanks, Rachel" I said finally.

"You know, I really look up to you, Quinn" Rachel began. "You were everything I wanted to be when I first met you. You were pretty, popular, fun...you had it all. And now, I'm sure people don't always see you the way I saw you. But I still see you that way. And I think that if anyone deserves Prom Queen, it's you. And I'm glad that we managed to overcome our differences and become friends. I know we'll be friends for a long time."

I smiled. Rachel wasn't saying this to get a solo or anything. She was simply being honestly nice. And I'm glad we're friends too.

"Thank you, Rachel" I said with a nod. "That means a lot."

"Quinn! Quit making out with Rachel and let's go count some votes" Santana yelled as she came down the hallway with two large voting boxes in her arms.

"Good luck" Rachel whispered and walked off as I followed Santana into the empty classroom.

* * *

><p>"...Rachel Berry!"<p>

I watched a very shocked Rachel break out of the crowd and get crowned by Kurt. Santana and I stood on the stage with Missy, only we shared small smirks and Missy looked furious.

As Rachel, who still looked like a deer in headlights, and Finn moved on the dance floor, Santana and I grabbed mics and got ready to sing. As we started singing, all the couples started dancing. Off to the side, I saw Joe. He was standing alone and had his eyes on me. I gave him a half smile, but he just stared back at me.

After the song, I handed my mic to Sam, who got on stage with his guitar, and I walked down to the dance floor. Just as Sam started lightly strumming on his guitar, Joe walked up to me.

"Wanna dance?" he asked calmly.

I nodded. I was honestly nervous for this.

Joe pulled me close and we started dancing.

"I'm sorry you didn't win" he said after a moment.

"I'm not" I answered.

"You're not?"

I shook my head. "Rachel deserves it."

"So do you" Joe said.

"No I don't. I thought I did, but then I realized that I have it all. I have great friends, a great boyfriend, a great family and more."

Joe smiled. "I didn't even know Rachel was running or even had a chance."

I smirked. "She didn't. Let's be real here, most people think she's annoying."

"So was this a joke like last year?" Joe asked. He had heard about last year's Prom scandal.

"No, a joke would mean that the intent was to hurt the victim. Look at Rachel. She's glowing. She's happy and surprised and after her awful choke at her NYADA audition, she needs this to boost her spirits" I said. "We both thought that Rachel deserves this."

"Wait...who's 'we'?" Joe asked.

"Me and Santana" I answered. "We were the ones counting the votes."

"Wait...did you two decide that Rachel would be Prom Queen?" Joe asked in a whisper.

I nodded.

"Is that legal?" he asked.

"Sure" I said. "Besides, no one will know."

Joe nodded quietly, but I could tell that he was still thinking.

"Wait, Quinn" he said suddenly, looking into my eyes. "Who really won?"

I gave a small hint of a smile. "Me."

"You gave up your crown?"

"Yeah. You were right; I shouldn't have been using my accident to get votes. It was wrong and not fair. I'm sorry" I said quietly.

Joe just stared at me as if he couldn't believe what I was saying.

"Say something" I prompted, when his silence became uncomfortable.

"You're amazing" he said finally.

And before I could respond, he kissed me.

"I love you" I blurted. We hadn't exchanged those words before and I'm not exactly sure why I said it now.

But he didn't look surprised or upset.

"I love you too, Quinn" he said.

Yeah, this was one heck of a Prom. And even though I didn't leave with a crown or a royal title, I left happier than I would have been if I did. Joe looked proud of me and I knew that I made Rachel very happy. It all worked out in the end.

* * *

><p><strong>AN**

**So this was basically the 'Prom-asaurus' episode slightly re-written so forgive me if I didn't perfectly quote the episode. **

**I liked this chapter because we see that they're relationship isn't always perfect and happy and we also see Quinn being a bit more canon-like. **

**I apologize for posting on such a random day, but I wanted to do this before the holidays and also because I'll be visiting family next week so I won't be posting anything. So I hope to get some writing done. **

**Happy Holidays and have a safe, healthy vacation!**


	29. Chapter 29

**A/N**

**I feel like I should just say that the next few chapters will mention religion...I'm not trying to force the religion on you, I'm just trying to make this as realistic as possible.**

* * *

><p><strong>Joe's POV<strong>

It had been two weeks since Prom. We were fine. We were actually better than fine. Quinn loved me, I loved her. It was great.

And then...there was a fallout.

Quinn and I had the worst fight ever. It was dark, sad and shocking. It tore us apart and I had no idea what would happen. Our moms tried to fix it, but it wasn't their battle. It was between Quinn and I. It was bad.

It started a week ago. It started out as a good day. School wasn't that hard and Glee club was fun. My mom had told me she was making my favourite meal and Quinn had went to the dentist the day before so her smile was that much prettier. It had seemed like a fine day. After school, I went home and did the little bit of homework I had. Then I had dinner, which was three tomato pasta. It was delicious. Then, at six thirty, Quinn texted me, asking if I wanted to go over and hang. So I did.

"Hey" Quinn greeted, opening the door for me.

"Hello" I smiled and stepped in the house. I took a deep breath and noticed something was missing. "Where is the delightful smell of a home-cooked meal?"

Quinn shrugged casually. "My mother went to a retirement party so I made a sandwich."

"So you only invited me over because you're alone?" I joked.

"Pretty much" Quinn grinned. "That's all you're good for, really."

"Hardy har har" I rolled my eyes. "Well, you should have told me and you could have had dinner with my mom and I."

"Where's you dad?" she asked me.

"He went to visit my aunt. She had hip surgery today" I told her. "Don't worry, it's not serious."

We went into the TV room and sat down.

"What shall we watch?" Quinn asked, picking up the remote. "TV or a movie?"

"I don't care" I said.

"How about the new Avengers movie?" Quinn asked.

"Alright! I heard Sam talking about that. He said it was really cool" I smiled.

Quinn chuckled. "He would. Sam's a total nerd like that." She stood up. "I think the DVD is in my room. Stay put, I'll be right back."

"Alrighty" I said, picking up an Instyle magazine. I could never understand why girls read these things. They're seventy percent ads and twenty percent ridiculous fashion trends. I don't care how many hit films you've starred in, overalls still look weird.

Quinn didn't come down for ten minutes. I had given up on the magazine five minutes ago. So, being the good boyfriend I was, I got up and went up the stairs looking for her.

I had been in her room plenty of times. When she was first in her wheelchair, I had helped move her stuff downstairs and one time she was too lazy to go upstairs and get a sweater so I did it for her.

"Quinn? Are you okay?" I asked, knocking on her door as I went in. She was on her knees digging through a box of DVDs. But her closet doors were flung open, as well as two desk drawers.

"I can't find the darn disk" she said without looking up. "I've look everywhere!"

"It's alright" I said, sitting down on the bed. "We can watch something else, I don't care."

"I know. But it'll bug me until I find it" Quinn sighed and ran a hand through her hair.

"You could pray to Saint Anthony. He's the patron saint of lost items" I suggested.

Quinn smiled. "Yeah." She sat down on the bed next to me and surveyed the room. "Where did I put it?"

I kissed her cheek. "It's okay. I don't even want to watch the movie."

She laughed and poked me. "You're just saying that!"

I shrugged. "I don't care what we watch, as long as we're together."

Quinn looked at me and smiled. "You always say the sweetest things."

I smiled. Next thing I knew, she was kissing me. Her hands went from my face down my chest to the hem of my sweater. My hands were on her waist. All of the sudden, the room got hotter and I realized how quiet the house was. And I knew where this was headed.

"Quinn! Wait" I said, pulling away quickly.

She stared at me but I couldn't read her emotion.

And suddenly, I was at a loss for words. So I stuttered my way through.

"Quinn, I-I'm sorry. I just...we n-need to...I don't know..." I took a deep breath.

Quinn just keep on staring at me.

"I'm a Christian" I finally said. "So are you."

"Observant" she gave a small smile.

"I'm p-proud to be one and I always do my best to follow Jesus' footsteps. And...one big thing that we Christians live by is abstinence. I believe in that. So I'm not...ready for...this. I'm not ready for IT. Not until after marriage. I can't tell you what to do, but I'd r-really like our first times to be with each other. But not...now."

Quinn nodded. "Joe, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have even tried...anything. I'm sorry."

"It's okay" I said and hugged her.

"I'm sorry" she said again quietly.

"No, this is good" I said. "The subject isn't taboo anymore. It's on the table."

Quinn nodded. "You're right. This is good."

"It's just all out there" I said. "No secrets."

Quinn took a sharp breath and slowly let it out.

We sat in silence until she finally spoke.

"J-Joe?" she squeaked. She stared up at me with teary eyes. "I have something to say."

I paused. This was never a good start.

"You said you wanted our first times to be together and I want that too because I love you. But, for me, it's too late" she said slowly.

"Too late?" I repeated. I couldn't believe what she just said. She must be joking. Lying. Something. My angel, Quinn, was...not so angelic?

Quinn bit her lip and shook her head.

"Wait. You did...IT?" I asked in total disbelief.

She nodded. "Yeah. And...it's worse."

"Worse? Oh my gosh, Quinn, were you...?" I couldn't even finish that awful sentence.

"No! No" she said. "But...I got pregnant."

"Pre...pre...pregnant?" I stuttered. No. This was not true. A baby? Quinn had a baby? My mind was swimming. I couldn't believe it.

Quinn got up from sitting next to me. Her eyes were bursting with tears. She paced back and forth on the floor in front of me.

"Yeah" Quinn nodded.

"I...but...you...how? Why?" I mumbled.

Quinn sighed and I knew it was a long story that I'd have to endure.

"It was two years ago. I was head cheerleader and super popular. Every girl wanted to be me and every guy wanted to do me. I was dating Finn. And it was great. But one day, Puck smuggled some wine coolers into school for the Cheerios and the football players and I went too far. I got drunk and was feeling fat. So Puck and I...did it. It wasn't going to be any more than that. Then I found out I was pregnant. I knew Puck couldn't handle it, so I told Finn it was his. And he believed it, even though we hadn't done anything. But soon enough everyone knew. And by everyone, I mean my parents too. My mom...she's weak. She knew and didn't try to help. When my dad found out, he kicked me out. I moved in with Finn for a bit, but when everyone found out that it was Puck's, Finn and I broke up. So Puck and I tried a relationship. We knew that the little girl inside me needed parents and I wanted to be that. But it didn't work. We weren't cut out to be parents. He wasn't into it fully and I couldn't do it alone. So when Beth was born, we put her up for adoption. She was adopted by Rachel's mom soon after. I was glad. Beth got a great mother and I was free again. My mom ended it with my cheating father and I moved back in with her. But then, after a year I realized my life was nothing. I had done nothing. New Directions had done nothing. The best thing I'd ever done was create life...Beth's life. I went a bit insane last summer. I tried to get Beth back but failed. I tried to get pregnant again, but that failed too. Then I realized that maybe my life didn't have to end like a Teen Mom's. I turned myself around and focused on my education. Next year, I'm going to Yale. I'm already accepted. Beth was a mistake. Everything I did was a mistake. I regret it more than anything."

I was silent. Just taking in the story. I couldn't believe it. The Quinn I know apparently isn't who she is. I didn't even know what to say. What to think.

"What about me?" I asked finally.

"You...you were lucky. I had told myself that I was done with guys for a while. At least until University. But then you came along, being all cute and sweet and helpful and I fell. I fell in love. That's one of the few things I don't regret."

I had no questions. I had no story. I had nothing to say, really. Quinn was in tears and seemed to be really upset about it all.

I was upset too. I was upset that she had this whole history. I was upset that Quinn didn't take religion as serious as me. I was upset that I didn't know anything. I was upset that no one told me. Did my mom know? Did everyone in New Directions know? And no one bothered to tell me. No one bothered to tell me that my girlfriend had a whole secret past. And I bet no one would have told me. And what was that she said about Yale? She's already accepted. Of course. In a few months, she'd be graduating and leaving. Leaving me. Was I just someone to fill the void? Someone to love until she met someone better? Who was I kidding? She didn't even tell me about Yale. No one told me about Yale. But I bet everyone knew that too.

By now I was beyond upset. I was mad. I stood up and Quinn glanced at me with her tear filled eyes.

Then I heard an angry voice. Then I realized it was mine.

"How could you? How could you just keep that from me?"

"Joe, I'm sorry!" Quinn cried. "B-but it's the past!"

"Everything! You kept everything from me! The baby, the family, the Yale, the everything! And it's clearly not a secret because apparently, everyone else knows!" I yelled.

"You never asked!" Quinn yelled back.

"What was I supposed to ask? 'Hey Quinn, do you have any children that I don't know about?'" I shouted.

Quinn didn't reply.

"I feel like I don't even know you!" I continued.

"You do know me! This is me!" Quinn protested.

"I thought you were a good person."

"Are you saying I'm not? Because I was foolish and got drunk one day, I'm an awful person? I'm a terrible sinner? That's really selfish of you, Joe" Quinn glared at me.

Selfish? I was selfish? No, I wouldn't stand for that.

"I am not selfish. It's selfish that you kept all this important info from me. You have this whole other life and I had no idea!"

"It has nothing to do with you!" Quinn yelled.

"It had everything to do with me! You're not who I thought you were" I shot.

"I am who I am. I've changed since sophomore year, you know."

"Evidently!" I said.

"You have no idea how hard my life has been" Quinn growled. "No idea. And you can't come in here, all perfect and knowing, and tell me that I'm at fault. Nothing in my life was working out and I managed to come up on top. And you just break me down for that!"

"Break you down? No. I'm proud that you managed to overcome your life of mistakes. Congrats! And yeah, you're right I have no idea how 'hard' your life has been. Because no one told me!" I yelled.

"And that's my fault?" Quinn demanded.

"It's your life!"

Quinn glared at me. She was no where even close to her previous teary eyed state. She was fuming now, as was I.

Quinn huffed. "You know what? You're awful. I tell you my story, which wasn't easy for me, and I expect you to have a bit of compassion and what do you do? You get mad that I didn't tell you sooner. How rude."

I am not rude. How dare she even suggest that. "I have every right to be mad, here."

"No! You don't!" Quinn said. "I'm the victim here. I'm the one who had to live the life! I'm the one who tore her family apart. I'm the one who was on her own. You've been in a real high school for what, five months? You've barely had a taste of how cruel people could be. You've never even had to deal with it. You were home schooled. You hadn't seen a freakin' TV show until I showed you one. So no, you have no right to be mad or even try to pretend I'm wrong."

I glared back at her. Was she honestly saying that because I was more sheltered in life that I didn't deserve to be upset? I was so mad now. I was seeing red.

"How dare you" I began. "How dare you even-"

"Stop. I don't want to hear your lecture" Quinn cut me off.

"I'm leaving" I said and stormed out of her room. Quinn followed me out, stomping down the stairs.

"Yeah! Fine, go! I don't care. I don't need you! I never needed you!" she screamed after me.

I spun on my heels to face her. That was crossing a line.

"You don't need me? So when you were helpless in a wheelchair, you didn't need me? When you couldn't even reach your locker properly, you didn't need me?" I asked harshly.

She stared me in the eye with her dark glare. "No I did not" she snarled.

I was shocked. That was such a lie and she knew it. I was her rock. I helped her every day and now she tells me she didn't need me? That was false.

I didn't even reply to that. I just turned, slipped on my sandals and threw open the door. I hurried outside to my car and heard her slam the door shut after me.

Only when I sat down in my car did I start to cry. I pulled out of her driveway and drove to my house, but I sat in the car crying for half an hour.

My mind was jumbled, I was shaking with anger and my face was wet with tears.

I had no idea what would happen with Quinn and I. I was scared to even go inside my own house because then I'd have to explain it all to my mom.

All I knew was that I wasn't at fault.

Quinn was the reason.

That was one week ago. It hadn't improved since.


	30. Chapter 30

Joe and I have had the worst fight. I've never had a fight so awful with anyone. Sure, my mom and I argue often and I had gotten into a few arguments with my dad when I was little. I've even had a few arguments with friends in elementary school. But nothing was as bad as this one I had with Joe.

After he left, I collapsed on the floor sobbing. After an hour, I had run out of tears and my sobs were dry. I managed to get up from the floor and drag myself up to my room, where I started to cry again until I fell into a restless sleep.

I didn't want to even go, but the next morning, I got a drive to school from Mercedes as I knew Joe wouldn't be around. Mercedes tried to ask questions about what happened, but I gave her the run around and after a while, she stopped asking. I saw Joe several times in school. Once when I was at my locker he walked to his so I quickly grabbed my binder and hurried off. I ignored him in class, at lunch and in Glee club. We sat as far away from each other as possible and any eye contact was followed by a glare until one of us looked away.

I refused to fix it. I did nothing wrong. I stand by everything I said. Joe had no right to say that I was the selfish person or that he doesn't know me. Well, I know me and that's what matters. He thinks that just because people call him Teen Jesus that he's so Godly and so innocent all the time. I won't fall for that. I'm not falling down.

When I got home, I was greeted by my mother, which was a surprise as I am usually home first. She looked anxious.

"Quinnie" she said when I walked into the kitchen. She had two mugs of hot chocolate on a tray and carried them to the living room. "Sit down."

"What? I have homework" I frowned. Not to mention the fact that I wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone.

"This is important, please, Quinnie" she said.

So I sat down.

My mom stared at me with sad eyes.

"Are you okay?" she asked me.

I stared at her. Was this an intervention?

With my answer, she continued. "I talked to Joe's mom today and she said that you and Joe got into a fight."

Oh man, here we go.

"Do you want to talk about it?" she asked.

"No" I replied. "There's nothing to say."

"Quinnie, what happened? You guys were so right."

"Guess not" I muttered.

"Look, I can't tell you who to date, but Joe seemed like the first guy who you really connected with. And he was such an huge help when you got into your accident..."

"Please" I spat. "You just want us back together so it won't be awkward between you and his mom."

My mother looked appalled. "That's not true. I care about you."

I was silent. Arguing that would be pointless.

"Just tell me what happened" my mom pressed.

"Fine. We were...talking and we got on the subject of...intercourse. He said he wanted us to wait until marriage and so I decided to tell him that I already did...you know. So I told him the whole story about getting pregnant and Beth and everything. And then he got all mad saying he didn't know me and he had no idea I had this past. Long story short, he left in a huff and that's it. Mom, I did nothing wrong!"

My mom sighed. I guess it was more serious than she figured and she knew that it was a touchy subject with the Harts being such devout Christians.

"So you're not going to try and make up?" she asked.

"Not unless he apologizes" I said. I know I was being stubborn but like I said, I did nothing wrong.

"Well, Quinn, think about it from his point of view. It's a lot of info to take in at once" my mom reasoned.

"So? I'm the one who lived it!" I said, my voice getting louder.

My mom sighed again. Then she looked at me.

"One last question. Do you love him?"

I got up and left the room without answering her.

Because I honestly didn't know. I thought I did. Two weeks ago I sure did. But last night was something else. I can't just look past that and say I still loved him.

* * *

><p>But that was a week ago. Since then, nothing has happened. Well, actually, stuff happened, but nothing positive. We still avoided each other like the plague in school. By now everyone had noticed and I had several members of New Directions try and ask my about it. But I simply told them that I wasn't at fault and to leave me alone. Then they went and asked Joe and he, from what I gathered, told them basically the same thing except he said that I had changed.<p>

But school's been a cakewalk compared to home life.

My mom's clingier than ever. Everyday she asks me if I talked to Joe yet. And everyday I'd say that Joe has yet to apologize and she'd leave me alone for a few hours until dinner. During dinner she's say that she chatted with Joe's mom and apparently Joe is just as depressed as I am.

Am I depressed? No. Depressed is wearing dark clothes and hating the world. I'd know; I've been there. I'm not depressed. Sure, I'm sad. And I feel like crying every few minutes. But I am not depressed.

Another thing that happened this week is Frannie. My mom called her to tell her of the news. It's like my relationship is the only thing people can talk about.

So Frannie had to call me and I had to explain it all to her. She said that we were both at fault and that I should try and talk to him. She said that what Joe and I had was too special to let stubbornness control. After I hung up the phone, I cried for an hour.

The worst part was that I knew Frannie was right. I told myself that I wasn't at fault, but maybe I was. When I said that I never needed Joe, that was mean and a lie. I did need him. I needed him all the time. He was my rock and I regret saying that to him, but I was just so upset. And okay, maybe my mom was right when she said I should look at it from Joe's perspective. I did kinda hit him with a load of news. But at the same time, Joe was completely out of line to be upset at my life. After all, it is my life and I was the one who endured isolation, pain and hurt. Now I've found a way out of Lima and he's upset. Yeah, I guess maybe I should have told him. I purposely put off the Yale conversation because I knew we'd both look at our days together as the end. I had my reasons.

But, in all honestly, I miss him. He was like my other half. I always enjoyed his presence and out of all the guys I've dated, we've connected the best. I've cried myself to sleep every night since the fight and twice I almost started crying in class when we accidentally make eye contact. I want us to be okay. I want to have a future, but the way it's been going, it seems like a simple wish now.

* * *

><p>Eight days after the fight, progress was made. I was in class. It was a class Joe didn't have with me, so I was okay. I realized I had forgotten my textbook. My head's been a mess since and I forget things a lot lately. So I left class, with permission, to go get it. The halls were empty and my shoes clicked loudly. I turned the corner to get to my locker hall and who was standing at the other end of the hall, coming towards me? Joe Hart. He paused when he saw me, as did I. We just stared at each other. It was awkward and it took everything in me not to run up and hug him. But that would be ridiculous. Then I think we both realized that to get to our lockers, we'd have to pass each other. So I shifted my gaze to my locker and without looking away from the locker door, I walked towards it. Joe did the same and as he passed, I got a whiff of his cologne. I wanted to just run away that second, but I knew I had to grab my textbook.<p>

I don't know what possessed me to do it, but I spoke. Maybe it was his cologne. Maybe it was the fact that the silence was awkward. Maybe it was that I heard him sigh as he opened his locker slowly. Either way, I spoke.

"Hello" I said quietly, but I knew he heard me because out of the corner of my eye, I could see him turn towards me.

"Hey" I heard him reply.

It took me a moment to think of a casual response.

"H-how are you?" I asked.

"Fine" Joe nodded. "And yourself?"

"Okay" I lied. I was not okay at all, but I didn't want him thinking I was a blubbering mess.

"Righteous" he nodded.

"Um...h-how's your aunt? The one who had surgery?" I asked.

"Oh...she's doing well. T-thanks for asking" Joe said. "Um...what did you get on the English test?"

"I did pretty good. I got a ninety one."

"That's good. Congrats" Joe plainly said.

I nodded. I had run out of things to say. I was also finished getting my textbook. So I shut the locker.

"Well...um, bye" I mumbled, looking at the floor.

I walked by him and down the hall.

"Wait! Quinn!" he called after me. I turned around. He stared at me and I made the mistake of making eye contact with him. His eyes were sad and he looked like he hadn't slept in a while.

He opened his mouth to say something, then closed it. Then he finally sighed.

"See you in Glee club" he said, averting his eyes.

"Yeah" I said and turned around again. I hurried down the hall as I felt tears in my eyes. I made a pit-stop in the washroom before heading back to class. I knew he meant to say something else to me. I knew he was hurting just as much as I was. I could tell just by looking at him.

I dabbed my eyes and tried to calm myself down because all I wanted to do was go home and cry. We spoke; at least there was that.

* * *

><p><strong>AN**

**Please don't hate me too much! I know you weren't expecting it especially after the cuteness at Prom, but I figured it was time. I couldn't even think of anything else to write instead so I had to do this. **

**I'm actually really interested to hear what you have to say. Do you side with Joe or Quinn on this? Tell me, okay?**

**I'll try to have an update in two weeks, but I can't promise anything because school starts back up in three days. And if you don't hear from me in a while, it's because it's exam season. **

**Again, please don't hate me because I love you.**


	31. Chapter 31

**A/N**

**More religion again in these two...**

* * *

><p><strong>Joe's POV<strong>

I can't remember what a good night's sleep is. Since Quinn and I had that fight, I've tossed and turned all night. And if I do sleep, I end up having awful dreams. I've tried counting sheep, reciting the alphabet and even say prayers over and over again. But I've yet to get a good sleep. It's terrible.

I miss Quinn. Everything is still her fault, but I still miss her. The other day we had a conversation in the hallway at school. The first one since the fight. It was barely five minutes and we exchanged nothing but casual words. But it almost broke me. I could see the sadness in her eyes, as I'm sure she could see in mine. Just as she was about to leave, I accidentally let my heart overrule my brain and I was about to say that I still loved her. And after my heart and my brain wrestling with each other for a moment, my brain won and I said something stupid and casual. It was for the best.

School just isn't the same without Quinn's friendship. Classes are lamer, lunch is stupider and don't get me started on Glee club. I used to enjoy it. It was always fun and funny. But now I'm just not in the mood to laugh. I sit at the back of the room silently. Quinn does the same, only she sits at the front. Sometimes she'll smile or joke around with the others, but then someone will mention something like love or date and she'll get quiet. Or if she's laughing and we accidentally make eye contact, she'll stop laughing and look like she's about to cry. Which only makes me want to cry. We're kind of a mess.

Being at home isn't a walk in the park either. My parents keep staring at me like I gave away their life savings. At first I was upset at my parents. My mom was best friends with Quinn's mom so there was no way she didn't know about Quinn's pregnancy. When I asked her and Dad why they didn't tell me, Mom said it wasn't her story to tell and Dad said he thought Quinn told me already. Then I asked them how they felt about Quinn's life choices. My mom said she knows Judy very well and she's a good person and although Quinn's past was a bit unChristian, Quinn seemed to have gotten back on the right track and that's what mattered. My dad said that Quinn made mistakes but she always looked to God and we should forgive her for her mistakes, even if I don't reconcile my relationship with her.

What I took from that was that my parents thought Quinn and I were meant to be and the fact that she's changed should be enough for me to forgive her. I trust my parents and if they, the most devout Christians I know aside from the Pope, say that I should forgive Quinn, then maybe I should. Besides, Dad said I should forgive her even if I don't want to date her again. But at the same time, I couldn't just go to her house and tell her it's okay. I was still upset that she kept it from me. It wasn't a matter of religion at the moment. It was a matter of honesty and history. Both of which, Quinn refrained from sharing with me. I wasn't ready to let this go. No matter how much it hurt me.

* * *

><p>"Hey bro" Sam greeted me. It was the end of the day and I was walking slowly through the halls in hopes that by the time I got to my locker, Quinn would be gone.<p>

"Yo" I smiled at him.

"Are you in a rush to get home?" Sam asked.

"Not really. Why? And before you ask, no, I don't want to participate in a Call Of Duty tournament" I said.

Sam chuckled. "Nah, that's not what I was gonna ask. Come with me."

Sam started walking faster and I followed him. He led me to the choir room, where all the other guys from Glee were sitting.

"Is this an intervention?" I asked, noticing how they all started at me as we walked in.

"Do you see any cameras?" Puck asked in a know-it-all tone.

"Intervention, not interview, you imbecile" Kurt muttered.

"Joe, sit down, if you will" Blaine said.

I sat down on a chair. "What's going on?"

"Joe, although you're the newest dude here, you're still one of us. A 'bro', so to speak" Blaine began.

"And bros stick up for each other. We care for each other" Finn said.

"Thanks, I guess. That means a lot" I began. I had no idea what the point of this little meeting was.

"Joe, we're worried about you" Artie bluntly said. "Since you had a fight with Quinn, you haven't been the same."

Oh. This was the point.

"You've been sad, angry and quiet" Rory said.

"Like the anti-Rachel" Kurt smirked.

"Look, Sam, Puck and I all dated Quinn. And Artie befriended her a bit when she was in her wheelchair" Finn said. "We all know what Quinn's like."

"I evidently don't" I said sourly, but regretted it right away.

They all stopped and stared at me as if to decipher what I just said. They still have no idea what Quinn and I were even fighting about.

"The point is..." Artie said loudly. "We know what Quinn can do and she's our friend so we want to best for her. And the best is you."

"Yeah, man. You and Quinn are perfect together" Finn smiled.

I shrugged. I had nothing to say, really.

"We don't want to know the details of your fight" Blaine said. "We just want to help you."

"You do want to get back together with her, right?" Sam asked.

I thought about that one. Did I? Did I want to get back together with her? What's to say this won't happen again? Do I even know her whole story yet or is there more? It was an unnerving thought. But at the same time, I loved her. I really did. And I could totally see Quinn and I getting married and having kids and doing it all together. It was glorious. And that thought was enough to confirm my choice. Of course I wanted to get back together with Quinn. For me, it was her or no one.

"Yeah, I do" I said firmly to Sam.

"So let us help you" Finn said. "We can talk to her."

I considered it. "Thanks but no thanks" I said. "This is our battle to fight and deal with. I want us to sort it out ourselves."

"Is she talking to you at least?" Puck asked. "Because in class and Glee you guys are like ice and fire."

I shrugged. "Um, not really. We spoke once. But please stay out of it, okay?"

"Alright" Sam nodded.

"Fine" Blaine said.

I got up and walked out of the room.

"See ya!" Puck called as I left.

* * *

><p>I had a dream. I managed to fall asleep at a normal time last night and when I did, I had a crazy dream. It started out with me at my house, but I was locked out. So I decided to try getting in any house that was open by walking down the streets trying to open doors. Somehow, I managed to make it all the way to Quinn's house and oddly enough, that was the only house I managed to get in. So I went inside and Quinn was there. But she was older now by about ten years. She still looked beautiful, by the way. Quinn didn't recognize me at all, though. So I began to explain how we were friends and we used to date and everything. And then when I got to the part in our fight, Quinn seemed to remember it. She said that because we both found each other at fault, we never resolved it and we both moved on. Then Quinn walked over to a random wheelchair that appeared, sat in it and wheeled away. So I decided to leave her house. As I was leaving, I passed the mirror in her foyer. And I saw that I was older too. Then I woke up.<p>

That dream had to mean something. I lay awake thinking about it for hours. And by the time I had to get up anyways, I had made a decision. I needed to make things okay with Quinn.

"Good morning, dear" my mother said to me, as I came downstairs. "You're up early again."

"Another night of barely any sleep" I mumbled.

My mom gave a sad sigh and a sympathetic glance.

"Joe, I know it's hard now, but it'll get better."

"I know. I'm gonna make it so" I declared. "As much as I'm still a bit upset that I was so out of the loop, I don't want to risk it all being over. And I guess she was right when she said that she was the one who had to live the life. It must have been hard. She was kicked out of her house!"

"Yeah, but, don't do this just because you know she won't. If you really forgive her..." my mom said slowly, peeling a banana.

"I do."

"Do you really?"

"Like I said, I don't want to risk losing her all together" I told her.

My mom sighed. "So how are you gonna do this? Walk up to her and strike up a conversation?"

"I haven't thought about that yet" I said. "Any ideas?"

My mom smirked. She always had an idea. "Yes. How about you invite her here this friday? Your father and I are going to Missy's house for dinner."

"Who's Missy?" I asked.

"A lady at my work. That's not the point. What do you think?"

"Yeah, that sounds cool."

My mom gave me half her banana. "I know Quinn is a great girl."

"I do too! That's why I was so shocked" I said.

"But I'm confident that you two will be okay. She brings out the best in you, and from what Judy says, you do the same for her."

"Okay."

"But just know that no matter what happens, I'll always love you. You're my son and it doesn't matter who you date...Well it does. Don't go dating some trollop, you hear? But the point is that you'll always have me and your father to come to. No matter what."

"Thanks, Mom" I got up and hugged her.

"Now, next topic of discussion" my mom grinned. "When are you gonna cut your hair?"

I laughed. "Call me in ten years and we'll see."

* * *

><p>Now all I had to figure out was how I was going to ask Quinn to come over. I could text her, call her, sing it to her, write her a note or straight up ask her. After debating it for a while, I decided to ask her face to face. It was more personal that way.<p>

I just had to find her alone. Lately she's been hanging with Kurt or Rachel or Santana or Mercedes so it'll be a challenge to talk to her by herself. Now I know how Harry Potter felt when he wanted to ask Cho Chang to the Yule Ball. I just hope my result isn't that same.

"Hey Joe" Finn said, approaching me in the hallway. "What's up?"

"Nothing much" I said.

"Okay, well um, Mr. Schue told me to tell you that there's an emergency Glee meeting. Today in the choir room, okay?"

"Alright. Got any songs planned?" I asked.

"Uh...no...but, um, I think Rachel may...I don't know" Finn said.

"Cool. Her voice is great" I said.

"Yeah" Finn grinned. "See you after school, okay?"

"Righteous" I nodded. At least Quinn would be there.


	32. Chapter 32

Thank goodness for my Glee friends, who, once again, are there for me in my time of need. Since Joe and I had our fight, I've found myself craving human interaction. It's like I need reassurance that I'm not totally falling apart. So I've been hanging with Rachel and Mercedes and Santana and even Kurt. They've been there for me. I know it may seem like I'm using them, but they get it. The thing about us Glee people is that we're there for each other no matter what. No matter the risk. It's cool like that.

Anyways, as much as I love chilling with Santana during lunch because she is always a laugh, it's not the same. And yeah, Kurt and I get along just fine now, but sometimes I feel like he can only talk about fashion or musicals or Blaine. That got old after three days. But at least I'm not alone. I do feel sorta bad for Joe, though. Whenever I see him in the hall or class, he's always by himself. That's because aside from people in New Directions, he doesn't know many people and all the ND people were my friends for longer.

"Quinn!" Kurt called, racing down the hall to catch up to me.

"Hello" I said to Kurt. "I like your scarf." Right away, I regretted saying that because I knew he'd yap about it for an hour.

"Thanks" Kurt said. "Anyways, um, there's an emergency Glee meeting today after school, alright?"

"What's it about?" I asked. Emergency meetings were rare. The last one was when Rachel, at the last minute, wanted to change the song we were to sing at her wedding.

"Um...I don't know" Kurt said.

"Oooh a surprise?" I asked with a smile.

"Oh, it will be" Kurt rolled his eyes. "I have class now, so see you around."

"Bye" I said.

* * *

><p>Glee was always the highlight of my day so today, as I lived through those awfully boring classes, it kept me sane. Joe and I used to laugh at Mr. Archibald or repeat everything he says in a fake British accent but now it's much quieter and duller in class.<p>

So when the last bell rang, I was more than glad to be done.

I went to my locker and headed straight for the choir room. No one was in there yet so I got my pick of the chairs. I took the one in the front row on the right hand side and waited patiently for more people to arrive.

After five minutes, no one had come yet. This was weird as usually Rachel comes right away. Finally, I heard someone walk in. Only too bad it was the one person I'd rather not see: Joe. He slowly walked in and glanced around. I guess he found the lack of people odd too.

It was so awkward. Neither of us said anything and Joe sat on the opposite side as I did.

"D-do you know where everyone is?" I finally asked quietly. I was getting a bit concerned now.

Joe shook his head no. So we quietly sat there for another few minutes.

Finally someone else came.

"Hello" Puck said, strolling in with a grin that Cheshire cat would be envious of. He looked at me and Joe. "Woah, it's a bit chilly in here, don't you say?"

Neither of us said anything.

"Where is everyone? What's going on?" I demanded.

Puck stood in the middle of the room. "No one is coming" he announced.

"What?" Joe and I both asked.

"Yeah so I'm gonna leave" Puck said, moving back towards the door.

I grabbed my bag and stood up too.

Puck just smirked at me. "Ah, but you two aren't leaving."

"What the heck are you talking about?" I demanded.

"So you guys hang out, talk a bit, and I'll be back in an hour to let you out. Maybe." Puck hurried for the door, slammed it once he got out and locked it. Through the window of the door, he waved at us with a school key in his hand. How he got that, I don't even want to know.

"Wait, so we're locked in here?" Joe asked me.

I nodded. Man, this was so awkward. But aside from that, why on earth did Puck do that? I pulled out my cellphone and furiously dialled his cellphone number.

"If you're talking to me, that means you're not talking with Joe" Puck said when he answered.

"What is actually going on? Let us out!" I shouted into the phone.

"No, the guys and I decided this was best" Puck said.

"The guys?" I repeated. "Who's in on this?"

"The guys."

"So Joe should know what's going on?" I glanced at Joe. He shook his head, making his dreads sway.

"Quinn, for someone going to Yale, you sure are dumb" Puck said. "Look, I'm hanging up. Talk with Joe."

"What? No, you can't make me" I shouted.

"Bye!" Puck sang and hung up.

I swore under my breath and sat down with a huff.

"So we're trapped in here? On purpose?" Joe asked slowly.

"Obviously" I snapped.

Joe looked surprised at my harsh reply then sat down quietly. I felt bad, but my anger towards Puck was stronger.

So Puck and 'the guys' locked Joe and I in here so we could sort our relationship out. Who gave them the right to get involved? Who said I wanted to sort this out? Okay, so maybe I did. I glanced at Joe. He was staring at the small little window things behind us. They were way to small for us to fit through.

I guess since we're both going to be in here, I might as well be productive. I pulled out my science textbook. I had a test tomorrow that I might as well study for.

I heard tapping and looked up. Joe was dialling someone on his phone.

"Sam!" Joe said. "What the heck, man?"

I couldn't hear what Sam said on the other end.

"Yeah I'm mad!" Joe said to Sam

As Sam spoke, Joe frowned.

"I told you guys not to get involved!" Joe shouted.

Woah, woah, what? Joe and the guys were talking about this?

"No it's not working!" Joe said. "I just can't- what? S-Sam no don't hang u-"

Joe shoved it phone back in his pocked with a sigh. Sam had evidently hung up on him.

"What do you mean you told them not to get involved?" I asked, upset at everyone. Even Joe.

Joe looked at me with those sad eyes. "Um, a few days ago Sam and the Glee guys came to me and asked if they could help me out in anyway with um...us. I declined but I guess they didn't listen."

I frowned at Joe but I guess it wasn't his fault. I didn't even have a response to what Joe said. So I turned back to my science. I had no clue what a dipole-dipole is. I was so screwed for this test. I've kinda been a mess this week so studying hasn't been top of my list.

We sat in silence for a while. I read my notes but after re-reading the same few lines twelve times, I realized that this was futile. I closed my textbook and looked over at Joe. He was staring at the floor with a small frown on his face.

"So..." I began slowly. Did he even want to talk to me?

"No more studying?" Joe asked with a small smile.

"Nah, I know I'm gonna fail" I shrugged.

"Do you need help? I understand this chapter pretty well" Joe asked.

I considered it briefly. At least that way we could talk and it'd be casual... No, I wouldn't be able to focus at all.

"No I'm not in the mindset to learn" I told him.

"Oh okay" Joe said and averted his eyes.

Now what? Do I say something? What do I say? Should I just pretend to text someone? Can I break down the door?

"Q-Quinn? Can we talk?" Joe finally asked.

"We are" I gave a small smirk.

"No, I mean really talk" Joe said. "I was gonna invite you over on Friday but since we'll be here for another while, maybe we should just do it now."

I sighed. He's right. We might as well just get it over with. And at least this way, neither of us can storm out.

I took a deep breath. "Fine." I turned so I could face him. He picked up his bag and moved closer but was smart enough to still have three chairs between us.

We just stared at each other for a moment.

"Do you hate me?" I asked finally. It was one question that I wanted to know. Did he hate me for what I did?

"No! No of course not. I don't hate anyone and especially not you."

I nodded, feeling much calmer now. "Joe, I need you to understand that I totally regret my life a few years ago. I was in a dark, awful place and I made stupid choices. I was lucky enough to get a fresh start and not let those bad choices control my life. Please, please don't judge me based on that. I've turned over a new leaf and I want you to be a part of that."

Joe blinked a few times and I had the feeling he was trying to stop tears.

"Look, I have no problem with your past. Well, maybe a small one because I never took you for someone like that, but I know you can't change your past. What's done is done and I've come to terms with that. My problem is that you never told me. You just kept that whole part hidden. You know, my parents knew but they wanted you to tell me yourself. How long would have you kept that from me?" Joe asked.

I started to cry now. He was right. Everything he said was right. I never thought about when I was going to tell him.

"I don't know" I admitted. "It was all so hard. You never know how hard pregnancy is until you experience it and double that for a teen head cheerleader in Glee club. I didn't want to bring back the dark past and scare you off."

"I'll never be able to understand how hard giving birth is" Joe said. "And I'm proud of you for going through all that. You came out a champ. I just didn't like being in the dark for so long when everyone else knew."

"I'm sorry" I said. "I am. I'm so sorry."

Joe sighed. "But do you understand where I'm coming from?"

"Yes" I nodded and wiped my eyes.

"I'm sorry too" Joe said, staring straight into my eyes. "I shouldn't have gotten mad. It is your life and you've changed, which is great."

"Yeah I have" I said. "For the better."

Joe was silent for a moment. "What about Yale? When were you going to mention that? An hour before you left?"

I felt an awful sinking feeling in my stomach. "Again, I don't know. I was accepted before I met you and I guess I figured that you'd maybe break up with me if you knew I was leaving."

"You thought that?"

"It was my worst fear taking over" I said miserably.

Joe sighed again.

We were both silent and looked away. I stared at my shoe and Joe stared at the piano.

"Do you still see Beth?" Joe asked quietly.

"Sometimes" I said. It was Christmas when I went to Shelby's after we had our little episode. I brought a gift for Beth and I guess Puck had told her how I'm better and more normal now so she let me in. I'd been to visit her three more times since.

"Do you think that maybe I could see her one day?"

I looked over and gave small smile. "Yeah, that'd be great."

"Cool. I mean, after all, she is your daughter" Joe said.

I nodded.

"And I'm really glad you did the best thing for her" Joe said. "You'd never be able to raise her yourself."

"I know. Shelby is a great mom" I said.

"And you never considered...abortion?" Joe asked, saying the last word like it was a swear word.

"Never" I said. "Like I said, the whole time I went through it all, I turned to God. He was always there for me. It made me a better Christian, if you ask me. I would never do that to a child."

"I'm proud of you" Joe said honestly.

"Thanks" I replied.

"You're really brave" Joe continued. "Not only did you go through all that, you also are succeeding at the rest of your life."

I had no response for that. So I nodded and fidgeted in my seat.

"Now what?" Joe asked. "We've said our sorries. I've forgiven you."

"So have I, but I have one last sorry. Right before you left that night and I said I never needed you, that was a lie. I was just hurt and angry and it just came out. I do need you. I always did. Without you, who knows how my wheelchair experience would have been. You were always there for me and helping me and I honestly can never thank you enough. I'm sorry for saying what I did. It was never true" I said. There was a hint of desperation in my voice. I needed him to believe how much I was sorry.

Joe nodded. "I know you didn't mean it" he said.

I felt tears on my cheeks. Suddenly the three chairs between us seemed like ten. So I slid over so I was on the chair right next to him. Then I hugged him. I've hugged many people and I've hugged Joe more times than I can remember, but this hug was the very best. I rested my head on his shoulder and I felt him hug me back slowly. On that night we had our fight, I was sure we'd never hug again.

Then I simply removed myself from the embrace, wiped my teary eyes with my hand and slid back to my original chair. After all, we still weren't officially back together. Then again, did we ever officially break up?

"Well look at that!" Joe said, looking at the clock across the room. "It's been almost an hour."

"Yay" I smiled. "Hopefully Puck is on time."

"Hopefully" Joe repeated. "So um, where are we?"

"The choir room" I answered.

Joe laughed but then got serious. "I mean in our relationship."

"Oh..." I said. "I dunno."

"Neither do I."

"Where do you want to be?" I asked.

"Where we were before" Joe answered right away.

"Me too" I said softly. "But..."

"But?"

"But what's to say it won't happen again?" I said. "What's to say we won't have another huge fight?"

"I once heard that it's not a perfect relationship unless there's disagreements" Joe said.

"A disagreement is 'what colour should the walls be: blue or yellow?' We had a fight" I said.

"But we've learned from our mistakes" Joe said.

"Yeah."

"I just have to ask, is there any more to the story or anything else that I don't know yet?" Joe asked cautiously as if he may offend me.

"No, I swear" I said. "You know it all."

"Okay" Joe nodded. "Come here." He patted the chair I had sat on. I scooted over and Joe took my hands. "Look, Quinn, you're my everything and I would love for us to be like us. This past week hasn't been us. I'm willing to try again if you are."

I nodded eagerly. "Yes. I am. I miss you. I miss us laughing and talking and making fun of Real Housewives."

Joe laughed.

"Let's give us another go, then" I said.

Joe smiled.

"Oh, um I have a question" I said. "Remember the other day when we spoke in the hallway? What were you gonna say to me right at the end?"

Joe blushed a bit and stared down. "That I still loved you."

* * *

><p><strong>AN**

**It was killing me to write them in a fight so I had to put them back together. I was originally planning to drag out their fight for another set of chapters, but the angst was depressing and it would get too repetitive. **

**So now they're dating again, but it won't be totally normal right away. **

**This is hard to admit, but this story, as amazing as it's become, is almost over. My guess is maybe another three sets of chapters. But that's not set in stone. I just wanted to give you beautiful readers a heads up...**

**I just got Twitter this week so follow me if you want (please!). My handle is AVeryMagicGleek **

**Until next time!**


	33. Chapter 33

**Joe's POV**

* * *

><p>Life is back to being okay, now that Quinn and I are back together. The only downside is that there was still a bit of awkwardness.<p>

It didn't help that it seemed to be the only thing that anyone talked about. Puck announced loudly several times that it was all thanks to him. Mercedes would squeal loudly when we walked in a room and several Glee members came up to ask if we were back together. But the worst one was this kid with really a puffy afro named Jacob who came up to us with a microphone and a camera and asked to interview us. I've never talked to him before, so I was unsure what to say. But Quinn gave a sweet smile told him to shove off. I think she was a bit annoyed about the attention we've been getting too. Is this what it feels like to be a celebrity? But they're nothing compared to my mom. When I got home that day we were locked in the choir room, I must have been smiling weirdly or something because she took one look at me and hugged me.

"You talked to her, didn't you? It's all okay now, right?" She kept saying. I finally managed to break her embrace and retreat to my room, but then I heard my mom on the phone to no doubtably Quinn's mom and she sounded ecstatic. Jeeze, I don't even want to imagine her reactions to things like engagement or having a baby. But I know she's just happy for us, just like everyone else in Glee.

Either way, I'm glad that the two of us could snicker about our English teacher or laugh in class. And I'm glad lunch wasn't weirdly awkward anymore.

* * *

><p>Like I had originally planned, Quinn still came over on Friday night. It was our first time alone since that day we were locked in the choir room. If I was being totally honest, I was a bit nervous because I had no idea how she'd act. Awkwardness was guaranteed, but the question was how much. I didn't want us to fight again.<p>

Quinn arrived at promptly seven thirty nine. I went to the door to let her in.

"Hey" she smiled at me.

"Hello" I said. "Won't you come in."

She came in and began taking off her boots. I hung up her coat.

"You look nice" I said to her.

She glance up at me with a smirk. "Are you gonna say that every time you see me?"

I blushed a bit. "But you always do."

"You're sweet. And a liar" Quinn rolled her eyes. "I've worn these pants after school every day this week. And I'm like ninety percent sure that these are my mom's socks."

I laughed. "I still think you're beautiful. And I like those pants. They're a lovely shade of blue."

"It's called stonewashed" Quinn said. "And thanks."

"Besides, one time I wore my mom's tank top by accident" I said. "I thought it was mine."

Quinn laughed. With her boots finally off, she stood up, straightened her shirt, and kissed me quickly.

We walked to the TV room.

I turned on the TV. "Anything particular that you want to watch or do? I don't care."

"Me neither" Quinn said with a shrug and a smile. "Oh, but look what I have." She reached into her bag that was beside her and dug around in there. She held up a DVD case.

"Avengers!" I smiled.

"Yeah, I found it the next day. It was under my box of tissues" Quinn said.

"Okay let's watch that" I stood up to put the DVD in the player. I put the DVD in then turned to her. "Do you want some popcorn or something?"

"If you want some, I don't care" Quinn replied.

"I'll take that as a yes" I laughed and walked to the kitchen.

Quinn followed me in.

"There's pop in the fridge, if you want it" I said, taking the plastic off the popcorn bag.

"Thanks" Quinn said and took out a can of Sprite for her and Ginger Ale for me. She knows that's my favourite.

"So..." I said awkwardly as the microwave hummed slowly.

"What have you been up to?" Quinn asked. Part of me wondered if she meant today or in the past week or so when we barely spoke.

"Nothing exciting" I answered, playing it safe.

"Cool" she nodded.

"You?"

"Same old, same old" Quinn said. "You know, my mom being crazy and my friends being weird."

I laughed. "You're mom isn't that crazy."

Quinn snorted. "Are you kidding? You know that day when we were, um, locked in the choir room? Well, when I came home and told her...about us...she got so crazy happy that she got a can of silly string -you know, that spray string stuff- sprayed it around me and the kitchen, and then ordered us a pizza."

I was having trouble breathing after that story. "Please tell me you have pictures or something."

"Sorry, I was too busy pulling silly string out of my hair" Quinn giggled.

The popcorn was ready so I put it in a large bowl and we went back to the TV.

* * *

><p>The movie was great. The Iron Man guy was hilarious and the action was thrilling. I swear I saw tears in Quinn's eyes when Iron Man tried calling Pepper before he was about to save he world and she didn't answer.<p>

We actually watched the movie. You know how couples 'watch a movie' and they actually don't watch it? We actually watched it. I'm glad because I actually wanted to see the movie and also, it would have been a bit uncomfortable if we did it the other way.

At some point during the movie, Quinn and I migrated towards each other. We started on opposite ends of the couch and by the end, we were right next to each other, under the same blanket and her head was on my shoulder.

"Now what?" Quinn asked, lifting her head from my shoulder as the credits began.

"Well, we could watch-"

DING DONG!

The doorbell sounded throughout the house.

"Expecting someone?" Quinn asked me, glancing at the door.

"No" I shook my head and unravelled myself from the blanket. I went to the door and opened it.

There stood Macy and her mom. Her mother looked slightly frazzled and impatient, but Macy seemed happy.

"Joe! And Quinn, too!" Macy's mom said, spotting Quinn behind me. "Thank goodness you're home. My husband's car broke down and so I have to go pick him up. We traded cars today so the car I have now doesn't have a booster seat for Macy. Do you think you can watch her while I go? Please?"

"Yeah, sure" I smiled. "No problem."

"Thank you so, so much" Macy's mom said. Macy beamed and took my hand.

"Bye!" Macy waved to her mom, who hurried off my porch with a wave and a grateful smile.

I closed the door and turned to Macy, who grinned at me.

"How are you today?" I asked her as we walked back to the TV room and sat down on the couch.

"Good. Today I painted a picture of a dinosaur eating a princess because she smelled like roses and my dinosaur was a herbivore" Macy said. "Then Miss Carrie, kindergarden teacher had a talk with Mom. She showed her my picture. It was so fun!"

Quinn and I laughed.

Macy went over to where Quinn was sitting and climbed into her lap.

"You're here" Macy said, staring at Quinn.

"I am" Quinn smiled.

"So are you and Joe in love again?" Macy asked, very seriously.

Quinn chuckled and glanced at me.

You see, last week when Quinn and I were in our fight, I needed someone to talk to. Well, someone who would listen, really. I babysat Macy one day and she asked about Quinn so I told her that Quinn and I weren't together because we got into a horrible fight. I didn't go into details, because after all, Macy was just a little girl, but I said that Quinn had secrets that I didn't know and it hurt and therefore, we hadn't spoken in several days. It was good just to talk and have her simply listen and not try and tell me what I should do. I was pretty sure she tuned out after a while, but it was good for me to just say it out loud, even if I was talking to myself.

"Well? Are you?" Macy demanded.

I met Quinn's eye briefly. She looked amused.

"Honey, Joe and I never stopped loving each other" Quinn said slowly, but glanced up at me at the end. I got a fuzzy feeling in my stomach as she said that.

"Really?" Macy asked with wide eyes. "But Joe said that you guys had a huge fight and his heart was hurting."

"But that doesn't mean we stopped loving each other" Quinn said. "You'll understand when you're older and you have a boyfriend."

"I am older!" Macy insisted.

"You're right!" I said. "Fun fact: every single second, you're growing and getting older."

"Really? Wow!" Macy said. She turned back to Quinn. "Well, I'm glad you are back. Sad Joe was no fun."

Quinn smiled at Macy. "How did you get so cute?"

Macy shrugged. "I'm hungry!"

"Do you want some juice?" I asked. "Or can I interest you in a delicious apple?"

"Yes please!"

We all stood up and went in the kitchen. Quinn poured her a glass of grape juice while I showed her our selection of of apples. Dad and Mom have different preferences in apples so we have a large variety.

"Can you cut it for me, please, Joe?" Macy asked me.

"Oh...um, okay, sure" I said. It may sound silly, but I've never cut an apple before. I usually just bite it.

But I decided to try. I took a sharp knife from the drawer and a cutting board and tried cutting the apple. It was hard. I can't cut straight at all.

"Joe, Joe stop" Quinn said. "You're cutting the apple not mauling it."

I grinned sheepishly. "Well if you're so smart, why don't you cut it?" I set down the knife and stepped back for her.

She rolled her eyes and picked up the knife. "Macy, dear, do you want the apple peeled?"

"Yes please" Macy said.

Quinn picked up the two uneven apple halves and peeled them. She had clearly done this before because she knew how to hold the knife and and the peel came off in elegant curls. Then she cut the apple into small slices.

"And that is how to cut an apple" Quinn said, giving the pieces to Macy. Quinn looked at me. "You looked confused."

"No" I said. "You're just really good at it."

Quinn smiled. "It's not hard."

I smiled. "Well it's a good thing you're here otherwise Macy would be eating hacked up apple."

"Yum" Macy chimed in.

When Macy finished, she jumped up and ran back to the TV room. I picked up her cup and put it in the sink. I expected Quinn to follow her, but instead she walked up to me.

"You told her?" she asked, keeping her voice low. I knew she was referring to me telling Macy about our fight.

I shrugged, trying to make it seem like no big deal. "Yeah..."

"Why?"

"She was asking about us and I didn't know if there was an us. I didn't want to lead her on so I vaguely told her" I said quickly.

"But she's a little girl! She doesn't understand it" Quinn replied. I honestly couldn't tell if she was mad or just curious.

"She seemed to get a good grasp of it all, as you can tell from what she asked" I pointed out. "Look, I don't want to start anything, but are you mad?"

"No. No, I'm not mad at all. I just want to know why you'd tell a little girl about what happened between us" Quinn said, giving me a tiny smile to show she wasn't mad.

"I needed someone to talk to. Someone who wasn't my parents. I mean, you could go hang out with anyone from Glee but I was alone. I'm not saying it's your fault, don't give me that look-" Quinn was giving me a hurt puppy look. "-All I'm saying is that she was there to listen and I had something to say. Besides, I kinda owe it to her because she really likes you. She asks and talks about you all the time. I'm pretty sure she thinks we're her older siblings."

Quinn smiled and hugged me. "Okay" she said simply.

I hugged her back. "I love you" I said quietly.

Quinn smiled up at me. "Hey, um, what're you doing tomorrow night?"

"Nothing, I think" I answered. "Why?"

"I convinced Shelby to go out. How'd you like to meet Beth?"


	34. Chapter 34

**Quinn's POV**

* * *

><p>So Joe agreed to meet Beth. I was excited because this is a big thing. I had explained it all to Shelby and she agreed to let me and Joe come over and babysit. I think Shelby was just glad to have a night out.<p>

So Joe and I drove over to Shelby's apartment at eight thirty. Joe drove and I had to direct him. If Joe was nervous, he didn't seem it. He calmly drove and entertained conversation.

We arrived at Shelby's.

"How old is she? Two?" Joe asked as we walked up the stairs to her floor.

"Almost. She will be in two months" I said. "She's so cute."

"Cuter than Macy?" Joe smiled.

"Oooh, that's a hard one. Macy is pretty adorable" I grinned.

I walked to Shelby's door and knocked.

Shelby opened the door, wearing a gorgeous blue dress. She smiled at me. "Quinn! Hello!"

"Hey! I love your dress" I smiled politely at her.

"Thanks. It's from that little shop by the bank" Shelby said. Her eyes moved towards Joe. "And you must be Joseph."

"Joe" he said with a smile. "Nice to meet you."

"Nice hair" Shelby gave a crooked smile.

Joe grinned. "It's kinda my thing."

Shelby nodded then looked back at me. "Okay well Beth is in her playpen, her food is in the fridge, you have my number. I'll be home around midnight. And there's some leftover pizza in the fridge you guys can have. I always have extra of that stuff as I can never eat a full box myself."

"Thanks" I said. "Have fun!"

Shelby smiled and hurried out the door, locking it behind her.

"Are you ready to meet my daughter?" I asked Joe.

He nodded. "Yup."

"Thanks for doing this" I said.

He put his arm around me. "I'm glad to be a part of this. She's obviously special to you."

I felt myself blush. Joe always knew the sweetest things to say. We walked over to the playpen. Beth was in there, playing with a little ball with beads inside. I picked her up and she smiled at me.

"Hey Beth" I cooed at her. She reached up and touched my face. "Do you remember me? Can you say 'Quinn'?"

Beth made a 'gaaah' sound.

"No, say 'Quinn'. Come on, 'Quinn'."

"Kin" Beth babbled. "Kin."

"Good job!" I smiled, bouncing her in my arms a bit.

"She is so precious" Joe said. His eyes were wide.

"Yeah" I nodded. "Beth, this is Joe. Can you say 'Joe'?

"Doe" Beth said and giggled. "Doe Kin."

"Aw, she said 'Joe Quinn'" I said. I looked at Joe. "Do you want to hold her?"

"I've never held a baby before" Joe said. "Well, my cousin is five and I've thrown him in a pool once..."

"Here, it's fine" I laughed, and carefully passed Beth to him. Beth's eyes it up when she got a good view of Joe.

"It's the dreads. They're a child's favourite" Joe smiled. "Hi Beth. How are you? Aren't you a cutie-pie?"

Joe was so good with her. She really liked him and it was so cute to see the two of them. Joe is also really good at crossing his eyes, an act that kept Beth amused for an hour.

Watching him and Beth made me wonder a lot of things. About the future. How serious are Joe and I? Serious enough to be married one day? What will our careers be? Can we support a family? Do we want a family? How many kids? A pet maybe? My thoughts got so crazy, it actually scared me a bit.

"Quinn? Quinn? QUINN?" Joe was staring at me, looking concerned.

"Wha-? Sorry" I blushed. "I zoned out."

"Penny for your thoughts?" Joe asked, letting Beth play with his hand.

I blushed even more. "I was just thinking about how great you are with her."

"She's so cute. Or, as I've heard Mercedes say, 'adorbs'" Joe laughed.

"You'd be a great dad" I blurted without thinking. Darn, why did I say that? Why isn't my filter working? Quick, say something! "Sorry" I said quietly.

Joe stared at me for a moment as if he was at a loss for words. "You're a great mom, Quinn" he said even quieter.

"No, I'm not" I said. "I gave my baby up and she'll only ever think of me as a babysitter."

"Quinn" Joe said, moving himself and Beth closer to me. He handed Beth to me, who was babbling quietly. "When you picked her up, I could see the love in your eyes. You love her and that's what makes you a great mom."

I'm not going to lie, I was moved to tears.

"Thank you" I said in a whisper.

"Kin!" Beth said, looking at me. "Kin!"

"Yes, darling. I'm Quinn" I picked her up and kissed her cheek. "You're so smart."

* * *

><p>Joe and I played with Beth for another hour, and she enjoyed the attention. I put her to bed after that. Then we microwaved the pizza and watched TV. The evening was quite perfect, if I do say so myself. I think Joe and I really bonded and I'm glad he had the chance to meet Beth. It'd be a lot worse if I put it off for a few years and Beth was older.<p>

Shelby got back just before midnight. When we left, it was dark out and the streets were quiet.

"Thanks for coming and meeting Beth" I said as Joe started the car.

"No problem. It was fun" Joe glanced at me.

"It was" I agreed.

"She really looks like you" Joe added.

"So I've heard" I smiled. "Puck claims she looks like him."

"No. Just no" Joe laughed.

"Hear, hear" I giggled. "Hey, where are you going? You have to turn left."

"No, we're taking a detour" Joe smiled mysteriously.

"Where to?" I asked as he pulled into an ice cream shop. Suddenly, it dawned on me. "Ice cream!"

"We have a fund, I do believe" Joe grinned.

"Yes!" I cheered and highfived him.

* * *

><p><strong> AN**

**I'm sorry this is late. I've been lazy. And I'm sorry that this chapter is short. I've had some writers block and just wanted to get this up. **

**I'm glad Joe met Beth though. That's important :)**

**I hope to get new chapters up in two weeks so keep an eye out! byeee!**


	35. Chapter 35

**Joe's POV**

Graduation. I've yet to experience it and I won't be doing so for another year. But for Quinn, it's soon. Like real soon. I'm talking three weeks soon. That's less than a month. But Graduation isn't what worries me. In fact, I'm excited for her Graduation. What worries me is what happens after Grad. I mean, yes there's summer, but after that is University. And in Quinn's case, Yale. And you know where Yale is? Not near me.

I'm worried that when Quinn goes off to Yale, she'll meet someone knew. Like a hot professor or something. Nah, I'm just kidding. Quinn isn't that shallow. But I am still worried. She's a strong, confident woman and I'm the quiet religious kid with dreadlocks who still goes to high school. She doesn't want that. Not when she'll have smart Yale guys.

I'm just worried that she'll move on and leave me behind. And I know that she'll say that I'm just being silly if I bring it up. I suppose to some extent I am. I do find myself over thinking things a lot. I guess it's just one of those things that I'll just have to wait and see.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Quinn's soft voice snapped me back into reality.

"Oh...just...thinking" I blushed.

"About?" she prompted.

"The future" I said.

"The future is now" she said.

"I mean the distant future. Like next year" I said.

"Oh" she said. I had the feeling she knew what I meant. "Well, no one knows what'll happen."

"Precisely" I said with a sharp nod.

* * *

><p>My Grad thoughts were put on hold when we went to Chicago for Nationals. We were all nervous yet excited. The bus ride was fun. We sang, we laughed and when we stopped for gas, Coach Sylvester drove down the block, leaving Mr. Shue behind. Chicago was great. The hotel we stayed in was great and I felt like we really bonded with each other. Then Mercedes got sick. We all panicked. She's a vital part of the TroubleTones and we were sure she was out. Even Santana wasn't thrilled with the idea of getting singing time to herself. We were rehearsing again and again and it was getting on everyone's nerves. Poor Quinn had to step in and take a spot in the TroubleTones. So she had to get her dance steps perfected, which is still hard for her. We all tried to help and she ended up managing. Thank God for Sue. She came to the rescue and got Mercedes in tip-top shape just in time. Nationals was a success. The girls nailed their Lady Gaga song and Rachel's solo was fantastic. Finn told me that some lady from NYADA came and it had really boosted her spirits on stage. Then we did the group song with was super fun and upbeat. Sure Vocal Adrenaline's performances were superb and very unique because they used these cool pinball machines, but there was no doubt in my mind, or any of our minds, that we won. It was obvious. When it was announced that we did, it was pure bliss. I don't remember much, but I remember lots of confetti and cheering and Quinn hugging me very tight. Somehow we made it from the stage to our hotel room where we partied all night. It was great. Words can't describe how much I enjoyed it. The only time the happiness went away was when the bus pulled back in the McKinley parking lot and Artie quietly reminded everyone that we still have to face the students at school. I think Brittany started crying. But we bucked up and walked into the school with pride. After all, we were National winners. And guess what? It wasn't awful at all. All the students clapped for us and threw confetti at us and treated us like celebs. It was magic. Yes, our days at Nationals was great. It was enough to make me forget my worries. Until the fun wore off and I got to where I am now, worrying even more. We bonded so well in Chicago and it only made me realize how much I'll miss them when they leave. And how next year, we may be headed to Nationals again, but it'll be so very different.<p>

I'm not ready for that.

* * *

><p>"Yo, Joe" Artie said, wheeling up to me in the hall.<p>

"Hey man" I said.

"Listen, Tina and I are planning a Grad party for the members of New Directions who're Graduating" Artie told me.

"Sounds fun" I smiled.

"We hope so. Listen, it's a surprise so don't tell anyone. It'll be at Finn and Kurt's house. Don't worry, we already cleared it with their parents. It'll be after the Graduation ceremony. All clear?" Artie explained.

I nodded. "Yup. Can't wait."

"Sweet. Catch you later, then" Artie said and wheeled faster and away.

Like it or not, Quinn's Graduation was happening.

Another thing that kept my mind off the pressing Graduation was exams. These were my first high school exams and I was nervous. I studied late into the night for a week. But I wasn't as worried as some of my friends were. All the grade twelves looked like they were zombies. It was obvious that they were studying just as much as me, if not more.

Quinn and I had just finished our Chemistry exam, which was also our last exam, and I was driving home.

"I messed up that question with the moles of gold" Quinn sighed.

"I think I got that one. I messed up that one where we had to graph the change in temperature" I said. "And the first few multiple choice threw me."

Quinn sighed loudly. "I'm just glad it's over."

"Me too" I agreed.

We were quiet for a moment. Those awkward moments of eerie silence, I've noticed, have been more frequent since our fight.

"So" I said, keeping my eyes on the road as I drove. "Yale, huh?"

"What about it?" Quinn asked. There was something in her voice, that made me uneasy. It wasn't accusatory or demanding, but it wasn't a simple curios reply.

"That's where you're headed" I stated. "Are you excited?"

"Sure. I mean, I'm moving out, going to a crazy prestigious school and experiencing the world. Of course I'm excited. But at the same time, I'm nervous. Scared, even. I've been through a lot, but nothing like this."

"Well, I'm sure you'll be fine" I smiled at her. I was just playing my role of a supportive boyfriend. There was no doubt in my mind that she'll be fine.

Quinn smiled at me. "You're so sweet. What about you? I know it's a year away, but have you given any thought to what you want to do when you're done high school?"

"Be with you" I impulsively said.

Quinn laughed. "Something you can go to school for" she added.

I shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe I'll go to teachers collage and be a religion teacher."

"Oh, so you missed out on a school experience so you spend the rest of your working life making up for that?" Quinn teased.

"Right" I joked. "I gotta meet the quota."

"You're good at Chemestry. You could be a scientist" Quinn said.

"Maybe" I said.

"But don't worry about it now. You have time to think. Besides, you'll be great at anything you pursue."

"Thanks" I said. I pulled into her driveway.

"Thank you once again for the ride" Quinn said, unbuckling her seatbelt.

"Stop saying that everyday" I said. "You know I love driving you. Besides, it's on the way so it's not a big deal."

"Well excuse me for being polite" Quinn smirked. She kissed me quickly and got out of the car.

"See you tomorrow" I said, before she closed the door.

"No you won't" she said. "Tomorrow's my Graduation!"

"Yeah, at like six at night" I said.

"Exactly! Maybe it's different for guys, but we girls gotta get our hair and nails and makeup done."

I rolled my eyes. "So I won't see you tomorrow?"

"Not during the day. I'll see you at the ceremony, though" Quinn said.

"Okay then" I said, trying to hide my sadness. "See you."

"Bye!" Quinn winked and shut the car door.

I drove home in silence. In less than 48 hours, Quinn would be a Graduated free woman. Then I had an idea: the party. I knew what I had to do.


	36. Chapter 36

**Quinn's POV**

I am Graduating. It's quite an experience. All day today was spent getting ready. I got my hair trimmed, my nails painted and my makeup done. It was quite relaxing. But now I'm in the choir room, shaking. Not from nervousness because I know I didn't fail, but from excitement. I'm GRADUATING. This is a big deal!

"Quinn, wherever did you get that lovely outfit?" Mercedes joked, hugging me.

I glanced down at my bright red Graduation robes. Mercedes was wearing the same thing.

"Oh this thing? Why, it's only the most elegant of evening gowns" I played along with a grin.

"Is this what a dress is like?" Mike asked, twirling so his gown puffed out a bit.

"Not totally. You have pants on underneath, or so we hope" Kurt said.

"Hey guys! Are you ready? It's starting so come on!" Will poked his head in the choir room then left.

"Wait, wait! Guys, before we go, I'd just like to take this moment to say how much I'm proud of us" Rachel said. "We may not have started high school together, but I'm glad we could Graduate together."

"Let's make a pact" Puck said. "Home for the holidays."

"Deal" we all chimed.

I grinned. I loved these people and the idea of not seeing them every day is sad. I felt tears in my eyes.

"Group hug!" Mercedes called and we all moved in for a hug.

"And now, we Graduate" I said proudly. We broke the hug and walked down the hall with swagger.

"Here we go" Santana sighed happily.

* * *

><p>The ceremony was nice. Scratch that, it was great. Puck and Finn sang 'Glory Days' as we were called up to get our diplomas. Everyone was clapping and grinning and it was so much fun. Of course, the droning speeches and sobbing girls got old fast. When it ended, it was a rush to exit the building. Word had got around that there was a party at Kurt and Finn's house so all the Glee people were headed there. I couldn't wait. Here I am, Nationals champion for both Cheerios and Glee and now a high school graduate on my way to Yale after making a bunch of great friends. Wow. I wouldn't have guessed that would be in my future when I started high school. It's funny how the best things happen when you don't expect it.<p>

"Want a ride?" Joe asked, catching me in the choir room as we took off our Grad robes.

"To the party? Sure!" I smiled at him.

I hung up my robe, waved to my friends and Joe and I hurried out. The parking lot was almost empty now and it was dark.

"Congrats, by the way" Joe said to me.

"Thanks" I said.

"How does it feel?"

"Free" I smiled.

Joe chuckled. "I have a gift for you."

"For me? You shouldn't have. All I did was successfully get out of that awful place" I joked. "I'd be happy with a highfive."

Joe smiled. "You're funny. But seriously, here." He held out a small thin box. It was the size of a slice of bread and wrapped in blue paper.

I took it from him and slowly pulled off the paper. I felt his eyes on me. Under the paper was a black felt box. Slowly I opened it. Inside, sitting on a bed of lavender silk fabric, was a silver bracelet. It was a chain with a small heart charm hanging off it. Even in the darkness of the car, I could see it gleam. It was stunning.

"Aw, Joe, it's so pretty" I said softy. "Thank you!"

"You like it?"

"I love it" I gushed. I took it of the box and slipped it on my wrist. "So beautiful. Thank you so much!" I leaned over and hugged Joe.

"You're welcome" Joe said. He started the car.

"So what's up with this party?" I asked as we pulled out of the parking lot.

"Oh, Tina and Artie organized it" Joe told me. "They got Finn and Kurt's parents' permission."

"How sweet" I said. "I can't wait to par-tay."

"But it isn't our last chance to party" Joe reminded me. "Finn and Rachel are getting married next week."

"Oh joy" I said.

"Are you mad because they're too young or because you almost died the last time?" Joe asked me.

"Both" I admitted. "But it's their lives. We should support that, I suppose."

Joe nodded.

We arrived at the Hummel-Hudson household. The street was already packed so finding a parking spot was tricky. We walked up the path to the door.

"Just go in" Joe said. "Tina said the doorbell wouldn't stop."

I opened the door to find a recognizable face.

"Quinn! Joe!" Blaine greeted us. He took out coats and threw them on the couch, along with about twenty other coats.

"Everyone is downstairs" Blaine said. I knew my way around so I led Joe down the hall to the basement door. Downstairs was packed. There were Glee kids, teachers and parents. The parents and teachers were on one side of the room, probably talking about the teens on the other side of the room, who were chatting and laughing and I think Tina was crying. Fun.

* * *

><p>Two hours later, the party was still going strong. The adults had even migrated to our side and we were having lots of fun dancing and talking. I must have heard the word 'Congrats' over two hundred times. It was great that we were all together and having fun and celebrating our success.<p>

Somewhere in the mess of happy people, I lost Joe. He was with me at first but at one point I turned and he was gone. But I was sidetracked with finding him because Rachel was yapping to me about the salon she got her nails done at. Then, I found Joe. Well, he was pretty easy to find as he was up on a table. He had a spoon and a glass in his hands and were clinking them to get everyone's attention. We all quieted down.

"Uh, hey" Joe said. "Um, first off I'd like to say congrats to Finn, Kurt, Rachel, Puck, Mike, Quinn, Santana and Mercedes."

"Whooo!" Brittany hollered, causing everyone to laugh.

"Anyways, I know that now you guys are all going to University or Collage or wherever Finn is headed, and it'll be quite a loss for us still in New Directions. I've only been here a few months and I know I'll miss you. So on behalf on everyone, congrats and make sure you come back to visit. We'll miss you. Now, if you will..." Joe was handed a guitar and hopped off the table. He sat on a stool and began to play and sing.

'_Home for the holidays,_

_I believe I've missed each and every face,_

_Come on and play my music,_

_Let's turn on every love light in the place_

_It's time I found myself,_

_Totally surrounded in your circles_

_Whoa, my friends_

_Please, celebrate me home,_

_Give me a number,_

_Please, celebrate me home_

_Play me one more song,_

_That I'll always remember,_

_And I can recall,_

_Whenever I find myself too all alone,_

_I can sing me home._

_Uneasy highway,_

_Traveling where the Westerly winds can fly,_

_Somebody tried to tell me,_

_But the man forgot to tell me why,_

_I gotta count on being gone,_

_Come on home, come on daddy,_

_Be what you want from me,_

_I'm this strong, I'll be weak_

_Please, celebrate me home,_

_Give me a number,_

_Please, celebrate me home_

_Play me one more song,_

_That I'll always remember,_

_I can recall,_

_Whenever I find myself too all alone,_

_I can make believe I've never gone,_

_I never know where I belong,_

_Sing me home._

_Please, celebrate me home,_

_Give me a number,_

_Please, celebrate me home_

_Play me one more song, y'all_

_Celebrate, celebrate_

_Celebrate, celebrate_

_Celebrate, celebrate_

_Celebrate me home_

_Please, celebrate me home,_

_Please, celebrate me home,_

_Well I'm finally here,_

_But I'm bound to roam,_

_Come on celebrate me home_

_Well I'm finally here,_

_But I'm bound to roam,_

_Come on celebrate me home_

_Well I'm finally here,_

_But I'm bound to roam,_

_Come on celebrate me home_

_Please, celebrate me home,_

_Please, celebrate me home,_

_Please, celebrate me home,_

_Please, celebrate me home,_

_Please, celebrate me home,_

_Please, celebrate me home_'

I swear that when he sang, he stared at me. I saw his eyes sweep through the crowd, but they always seemed to land on me for a majority of the time. It was such a nice song. Everyone loved it and we all clapped like mad when he finished. Joe smiled and waved modestly to everyone, before disappearing into the crowd.

"It's too bad Finn's mom is allergic to cats. Lord Tubbington would have loved to be here" Brittany said.

"Uh...nice" I said absentmindedly and hurried off. I'm very observant and one thing I observed was the way Joe's head hung as he ducked into the crowd after his song. He only hangs his head like that when he's upset. He did it all the time when we awkwardly saw each other in school that week of our fight.

"Hey, Kurt, have you seen Joe?" I asked, seeing Kurt near the basement stairs.

Kurt gave me a sad look and slowly pointed up.

"Thanks" I said and hurried up.

I found Joe upstairs. He stood in the dark kitchen near the patio door, staring out.

"Hey you" I said quietly.

Joe turned to me. He wasn't crying, but he looked sad.

"That was a great song you sang" I said.

"Can you keep a secret?" Joe asked with a small smirk.

"Of course."

"It's a Christmas song" Joe smiled.

"Really?" I asked, glad to see him smile.

He nodded. "True story."

"So..." I said. "Why are you up here?"

"I just needed a breather" Joe told me.

"Joe, what's wrong?" I asked bluntly.

"Can I be honest with you?" he sighed.

"I'd want nothing less."

Joe motioned for us to sit so we sat down at the wooden kitchen table.

"I'm worried" he began.

"Why?" I cut in.

"You Graduated. And soon, you'll be gone to Yale. You can deny it and try to convince me, but that little voice in the back of my mind is telling me that when you do, we'll be over. You'll go, meet some older hot Yale guy who can actually be there for you, and I'll be just a memory. Your old high school boyfriend. You don't want that. I just don't want us to end."

Wow. Is that really what he thinks? How long has he had this fear?

"Joe. Joe, Joe, Joe" I began. "With all due respect, you're crazy."

Joe just stared at me.

"I love you. You, Joe. Not some hot Yale dude. And I know I'll be gone, but I'll miss you every single day. We'll talk and text and Skype and visit each other and if you think for even a moment that we're done, you're wrong. Why do you doubt us, Joe?"

Joe sighed sadly. "I don't know. I'm trying to set myself up so I'm not hurt, I guess."

"I won't hurt you" I said. I took his hand and pulled him up on his feet. I hugged him tightly, trying to show in that simple action how much I meant what I said. He wrapped his arms around me and we just stood there, hugging.

"I love you, Quinn Fabray" he whispered.

"I love you too, Joe Hart" I said. "We can do this."

"Righteous."

* * *

><p><strong>AN**

**Guys. This is almost the end. There are only 2 more chapters left: one Joe and one Quinn. But I'm doing something a bit different with them and I think you'll really like it. I've already wrote one of the chapters and I'm pleased.**

**So about these two chapters that you just read. Quinn has graduated and is going off to Yale. Poor Joe, right? I hope I got his emotions right. And yes, the song he sang is a Christmas song. It's 'Celebrate Me Home' by Kenny Loggins. I thought the song fit well in the plot. :)**

**Anyways, I'll see you in two weeks with the final instalment of this story. Love you all!**


	37. Chapter 37

**__****A/N **

**Last Joe chapter :(**

* * *

><p><strong>Joe's POV<strong>

_Six months later_

"Joe!" I heard Quinn shout. I saw her across the airport, waving frantically. Her face was in a grin, which only made me grin. I broke into a sprint. When we met, I threw my bag down and hugged her tightly. I didn't even get a good chance to look at her. It's been almost three months since I last saw her in real life and not over a computer monitor.

"How was your flight?" Quinn asked me, still hugging me tightly.

"Good" I answered. I pulled out of the hug so I can finally get an unpixelated look at her. Her hair was longer, but that was about the only difference. Her eyes still sparkled and her clothes were still stylish.

"Hey" Quinn smiled at me. Our noses were touching. So I did the impulsive thing: I kissed her.

There we were, in the middle of the pickup area for terminal five, kissing. It was amazing.

"Welcome" Quinn grinned, stepping back, a slight blush on her cheeks. "I've missed you."

"Me too. But now we have four whole days together" I smiled.

"Are you sure your parents don't mind you being here for Thanksgiving?" Quinn asked.

"I told you already, they're totally okay with it" I said.

Quinn smiled. "Yay. Well, let's go get your luggage so we can go."

"I can't wait for the official Yale tour" I said.

"I can't wait to show you around. That is, unless we get lost. Which I did- three times" Quinn laughed. I picked up my bag and she took my hand and we walked to the luggage pick up.

* * *

><p>It was a forty-five minute drive from the airport to Quinn's dorm. The time was spent talking. Even though we tried to text or have some form of communication every day, we always had something to say.<p>

"Here is home sweet home" Quinn said. Quinn lived on campus. She had a roommate, who she spoke highly of.

We got out of the car and she led me into the dorm building. It wasn't anything special. It also wasn't very busy.

"Where is everyone?" I asked as we passed a large room with a pool table.

"Home for the holidays" Quinn said. "There are still plenty of people here, though."

We went up some stairs and down a hallway with many doors.

"And here we are. Room 313" Quinn said proudly, pulling a key from her pocket and unlocking the door. Her room was fun. There were two beds on either side of the large room. It was easy to tell which one was Quinn's; it was the messy one with pictures of New Directions and movie posters on the wall above. Her roommate's bed was neatly made she and had pictures on the wall as well, but I didn't know any of the people in the pictures. There was a small kitchen area to the left and a bathroom to the right and a couch and TV in the middle.

"Where's your roommate?" I asked, expecting to see another person inside.

"I convinced Lydia to stay with her boyfriend while you're here. I didn't have to convince her much, though. She's with him pretty much every day. He goes to Yale too. But she totally wants to meet you so she said she'd pop over" Quinn said.

"Is she nice?" I asked, curiously.

"Yeah. We get along great. She's got such a sense of humour. I keep telling her to do stand up comedy. And her boyfriend is super nice too, so I don't mind when they chill here" Quinn said. "The only thing I dislike about her is that she's really into yoga so sometimes she forbids me to make any sound so she can centre her aura or something stupid like that."

I laughed. "Sounds manageable."

"She is" Quinn nodded. "Sit down. Do you want anything to eat? Drink?"

I sat on the couch. "Um... Ginger Ale?"

Quinn smirked. "I knew you'd want that. I bought this." She opened the fridge and pulled out a huge bottle of Ginger Ale.

"Aw, you're the best!" I grinned. She poured me a glass, got herself a glass of water and joined me on the couch.

"Cheers" she smiled, clinking my glass with her own.

I grinned at her. "Thanks."

"So" she said. "How's McKinley? Fill me in on all the drama! How's New Directions holding up?"

"McKinley is great. A lot lonelier than last year. I miss you the most, but even the others' absence has made an impact. New Directions is fine. At first it was just me, Sam, Blaine, Tina, Artie, Brittany and Sugar. We were so lost. But Unique, joined, as did Marley, Jake Puckerman, Ryder and Kitty."

"Is Puck's brother just as...special?" Quinn asked with a raised eyebrow.

"At first he was. But now he's cool" I said. "We're really coming along as a team without you guys. I told you that Finn's back, right? Mr. Schue went to Washington so Finn's been with us. We're okay with that now. He's got some good ideas. And we haven't sung a Journey song in over an month!"

Quinn laughed. "Congrats."

"We're gearing up for Sectionals so Finn's got us really working. Oh, and the God Squad isn't alive anymore. Sam and I met and we tried to recruit new members, but no one came. So we decided that me and Sam meeting once a week to discuss God would be sorta pointless."

"That's too bad. But I guess Mercedes was the heart of the group. Sam just joined to be with her" Quinn sighed.

"But enough about lame old Lima. Tell me about Yale!" I said.

Quinn smiled. "Yale is perfect. I'm doing well. Not top of my class, but good enough. There's only one professor I hate, but the course is fun and and Lydia is in it with me."

"Are you just as popular as you were in high school?" I asked.

Quinn scoffed. "Hardly. And amongst some of these geniuses, I never will be."

"Have you made friends at least?" I asked.

"Yes, I have" Quinn said in a dignified tone. "But before you ask, no, I don't love them more than you and all of the old gang."

I chuckled. "Met any boys?" I asked. I had been wondering for a while. Whenever Quinn and I would talk, she'd occasionally mention some new person she'd met, but she never mentioned any guys. I wondered if that's because she hadn't made any male friends or because she didn't want to tell me of any.

"A few" Quinn admitted. Her eyes met mine and I saw her smile fade as she got serious. "Joe, I know why you asked. You have nothing to be worried about. Seriously."

I held up my hands. "I know, I know...I was just wondering."

"I love you" Quinn reminded me quietly and poked my shoulder.

I smiled. "I love you too."

* * *

><p>Quinn took me around the campus that afternoon. She showed me where her classes were, the library, the common room and this huge field that people have picnics on. Four people that we passed complimented me on my dreads. It was fun to tour around. Quinn was so enthusiastic as she showed me things. She worked so hard to get to Yale and now she's here. She made it. So no wonder she's proud. It was a perfect day. It was so good to see Quinn again. I've missed her so much. It's only been three months, but going from seeing her pretty much every day to not seeing her for months is hard. The worst part is that since Quinn and I were so close from the beginning when I started McKinley, I didn't really make many other friends so this year I feel so out of place. I was somewhat close to Rory, but he's back in Ireland. Sam is still there, but he's getting friendly with Brittany and Blaine. The new kids mingle with each other mostly and Finn has put on a professional attitude and isn't chummy with us much anymore. I'm back to where I was when I started: having my mom as my best friend.<p>

"You look...distant" Quinn said.

I smiled. "That's funny because we're in a long distance relationship" I said.

Quinn rolled her eyes and smiled. "That's not what I meant" she said. "You look deep in thought."

"Sorry. I was just thinking about how great it is to be here with you" I said honestly.

"I'm so glad you could come. This will be the best four days ever!"

"Indeed" I smiled and side hugged her.

* * *

><p>We went to this little bar for dinner. Quinn said it had the best burgers in town and it was the Yale hangout. She was right about the burgers. They were so good. I'm even thinking about coming back before I leave and smuggling a few back to Lima. After dinner, we got ice cream and walked hand in hand down the busy streets. It was great to just be free and wonder around with Quinn. We never ran out of things to talk about and I can't even express in words how much I loved seeing Quinn's smile.<p>

When it got late and we both got cold, we went back to Quinn's place and chilled in front of the TV.

We ended up falling asleep on the couch in each other's arms with the TV still on.

* * *

><p>The next day we just as eventful. Quinn and I made waffles for breakfast, which was really fun. Then we toured the city. It was just a day of Quinn and I catching up, exploring and enjoying being together. I met a few of Quinn's new friends and they were so nice.<p>

Quinn's roommate, Lydia, and her boyfriend, Frank, popped over when we came back. They're both super nice and we all went out for pizza and bowling. I saw what Quinn meant when she said Lydia was funny because she kept us in stitches.

After bowling, Quinn and I went back to Quinn's place and we watched movies until, for the second night in a row, we fell asleep in each other's arms.

* * *

><p>"Joe. Joe. Joey. Joey, wake up. Joey."<p>

I felt someone poke my cheek lightly.

"Joe, wake up."

I opened my eyes to see Quinn peering at me with an adorable smirk. She was poking my face.

"M'up" I mumbled and blinked.

Quinn grinned. "Happy Thanksgiving, Joe" she said and kissed my cheek.

"Happy Thanksgiving to you too" I said, sitting up and smiling.

"What're you thankful for?" Quinn asked me.

"God, my parents, my friends, an education, a home, food...am I forgetting something? Oh yeah, you."

Quinn laughed and stood up. "You're cute. Are you hungry?"

"I am" I followed her to the kitchen area, where she pulled out some boxes of cereal.

"Take your pick" Quinn said, waving her hands around the boxes like the girls in Deal Or No Deal.

I ended up picking Cheerios and we ate at the little table.

"So what are we doing today?" I asked.

"Very little" Quinn answered. "Things are closed for the holiday."

"So...movie marathon?" I grinned.

"You know me so well" Quinn nodded with a matching smile.

So that's what we did. We watched several movies including Breakfast Club, Monsters Inc, Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part 2 and Mamma Mia.

We paused only for food or bathroom breaks. It was fun and we both teared up several times.

It wasn't until about seven that evening that we got bored of movies. So we resorted to playing cards.

"You know I'm leaving tomorrow, right?" I asked as I picked up two cards.

"Sadly" Quinn sighed. "Your flight's late, though, correct?

"Four thirty three" I answered.

Quinn looked up at me with sad eyes. "I'll miss you."

"I'll be back" I said, nodding.

"Well, I'm coming back home for Christmas" Quinn said.

"No, I mean coming back to Yale. I'm thinking about applying here."

"Really?" Quinn looked surprised.

"Yeah" I nodded.

Quinn paused then squinted at me. "Is that because I'm here?"

"That certainly is a huge contributing factor" I honestly told her.

Quinn shook her head. "Joe, this isn't exactly an easy school to get into."

"I'm aware."

"You should go somewhere that you want to go. Don't let your career suffer so you can be near me" Quinn said.

I shrugged noncommittally.

Quinn gave a half smile. "Anyways, we can talk about this on a later date."

"Okay."

Quinn smirked and slapped down her last card. "I win!"

"Aw, I had two cards left!" I growled.

Quinn beamed. "I have an idea. Want to Skype our parents? It is Thanksgiving, after all."

"Good idea" I nodded.

Quinn booted up her laptop and logged onto Skype.

"Hey Mom!" Quinn waved, seeing her mother's face on the monitor.

"Quinnie!" her mom squealed. "And Joe!"

"Hello" I waved.

"Happy Thanksgiving" Quinn said.

"You too! Aw, you just missed your sister and her family. They came over for dinner and they just left."

"Oh, that's too bad. I'll call to her tomorrow" Quinn's smile fell a bit.

"Are you two having fun?" Quinn's mom asked.

"We are" I said.

"How was your flight, Joe?"

"It was fine" I said. "The plane was packed, though."

"Well, it's the holidays" Quinn's mom said.

"How was Frannie and family?" Quinn asked.

"Fine. Tristan is so adorable. I wish you could have been here."

"I'll be home for Christmas. Besides, I'm glad Joe could come visit and we could hang out" Quinn said.

"Glad to be here" I piped up. "And thanks a lot, you have that song stuck in my head."

"'I'll Be Home For Christmas'?" Quinn glanced at me.

"Yes" I grinned.

"Oh, you two are so adorable!" Quinn's mom sighed.

"Mom!" Quinn groaned. "What did I tell you about saying stuff like that?"

Her mom smiled and sighed. "Sorry for being glad that you have a sweet boyfriend."

"Mom! Stop!" Quinn sighed, her face red.

I just snickered. It was good to know that her mom liked me. And Quinn was cute when she was embarrassed.

"Okay, okay, sorry" Quinn's mom sighed with a grin. "Well, I have dishes to wash, so I'm gonna let you two go. Have fun! Joe, when do you come home?"

"Tomorrow afternoon" I answered.

"Alright. Well, stop in sometime when you do."

I nodded. "Will do."

"Bye, Mom" Quinn waved at the screen with a smile. "Happy Thanksgiving!"

"You too! I love you! Bye!" Quinn's mom blew kisses and waved.

I waved too.

Quinn disconnected and rolled her eyes once the screen went blank. "My mom is so embarrassing sometimes."

"But she's so sweet" I said.

Quinn grunted in response. "Now for your parents" she said, typing on the computer.

My mom's face appeared on the computer minutes later.

"Hey Mom" I smiled.

"Joe! Quinn! Hi!" my mom grinned. "How are you?"

"Fine" I said.

"Happy Thanksgiving" Quinn said.

"Thank you, Quinn. What did you guys do today?"

"Watched movies" I laughed. "All day."

"Wow, Joe, glad to see you're making the most of your trip" my mom said sarcastically.

"Indeed" I said. "Where's Dad?"

"Hold on, I'll get him" my mom said and moved away from the computer. We could hear her calling for my dad in the background.

Moments later, my mom appeared with my dad at her side.

"Hey Dad!" I said.

"Hello!" Quinn chimed.

"Hey there! Happy Thanksgiving!"

"What did you guys do today?" I asked.

"Nothing exciting" my mom replied. "We we to church and then we ate dinner."

"Just the two of you?" Quinn asked.

"Yup."

"What about you guys? How are you liking Yale, Quinn?"

"Oh, it's great. I'm really enjoying it."

"You're keeping up okay?" my mom asked.

"Yes" Quinn said. "I have an easy semester."

"That's good. Joe, what do you think of the campus?" my dad asked me.

"It's neat. It's also huge. I had no idea where we were going."

"You get used to it. You thought our high school was huge too" Quinn laughed.

"At first" I added with a smile.

"Well I thought this campus was huge at first. Now I know my way around" Quinn pointed out with her hands on her hips.

"You said you got lost three times!" I retorted. This was turning into a very interesting debate.

"Yeah, in the first week" Quinn replied.

"Well I got lost at McKinley!" I said. "I still don't know which portable is which."

"There are numbers on the doors!"

"They're small!"

"I don't even know what you two are arguing about" my mom commented from the screen.

My dad had an amused grin. "I wouldn't even call this an argument. More like a pointless squabble."

"Hear, hear" my mom laughed.

Quinn and I blushed and stopped talking.

"Well, it was great to see you Quinn. And Joe, we'll see you at the airport tomorrow" my mom said. "Have a safe flight. I'll be praying for you."

"Make sure you get on the proper plane, Joe" my dad winked.

"I'm not an idiot. I'll be fine" I rolled my eyes.

"Bye" Quinn waved at them.

"Goodbye, dear" my mom said to Quinn.

"See you tomorrow" I said as my parents started waving in sync.

"Love you!" my mom said as she disconnected and the screen went blank.

We were silent for a moment before we looked at each other and burst into giggles.

* * *

><p>That night, we managed to fall asleep on Quinn's bed as opposed to the couch. It was a good sleep, but it was also sad because that would be the last night we spent together before I left. Even after Quinn fell asleep, I was up, thinking. The past four days had been super fun. I don't want to leave. I don't want to leave Quinn.<p>

I don't know what time I dozed off, I just know that Quinn's slow and steady breathing next to me lulled me to sleep. The next thing I knew, Quinn was waking me up and saying that we have a lot of stuff to do before I go.

That stuff included more tours around the campus and local area, eating at a really yummy pizza place, and meeting a few more of Quinn's new friends. The next thing we knew, it was almost three and the two of us were getting into Quinn's car and heading to the airport.

The drive was probably the awkwardest thing that we've experienced the whole four days. Quinn kept trying to keep happy conversation going, but I could tell by her voice and the way she kept her eyes locked on the road, that she was sad. I debated saying something, but I decided against it. So I sat quietly as Quinn's babbled on about some hilarious joke that her professor told a week ago, but the atmosphere was so tense that the joke didn't seem funny at all.

We arrived at the airport and Quinn parked the car. I got my luggage out of the car and we went inside the building. Quinn held my hand, and I could tell just by her tight grip that it was going to be hard to let go.

Finally the moment came. I got my boarding pass and we went as far into the airport as possible before Quinn wasn't allowed. We had to say our goodbyes.

I put my bag down on the ground and hugged her tightly. She wrapped her arms around me and I heard her crying.

"Shhhhhh, don't cry" I said softly.

Quinn wiped her eyes and pulled out of the hug, but didn't step back so we were still inches away from each other.

"I don't want you to go" Quinn said quietly.

"I don't want to go" I told her. "But I can't stay here. That's just silly."

I felt tears in my own eyes and it didn't help that Quinn's eyes were swimming with tears and she looked so darn sad.

"I love you" Quinn said, sniffing.

"I love you too" I said honestly. "Besides, we only have a month apart because then comes Christmas."

Quinn nodded and gave a half smile. "I'm coming home to Lima at Christmas. I swear."

"I can't wait" I kissed her cheek. "We can sing Christmas songs and decorate a tree and bake cookies."

Quinn smiled. "Remember at my Grad when you sang that Christmas song?"

I laughed. "I do. Good times."

We were silent for a moment, just staring into each other's eyes. In that silence, we heard the boarding call. I had to go.

Quinn glanced away and I knew there were tears flowing again.

"Well, I guess this is goodbye. Thanks for showing me around introducing me to your friends. I had a lot of fun with you" I sighed.

"Me too. I'm so glad you could come" Quinn whispered.

"I'll call you when I land" I said. "Bye, Quinn."

"Bye" Quinn said and kissed me passionately. I felt her tears on my face and I knew she was putting her all into this kiss because it'd be the last one until Christmas.

"Bye Joe" Quinn quietly sighed and hugged me.

I unwrapped my arms from hers and picked up my bag.

It almost killed me to do so, but I got on that plane and went home.


	38. Chapter 38

**A/N**

**Last Quinn chapter... Yes, this is the end**

* * *

><p><strong>Quinn's POV<strong>

Eight years later

It's funny how life falls together by taking the most unexpected of turns. It's almost never how you picture it and sometimes you think it's not worth it. But take it from me, it is. I've been through a lot. My life is TV-worthy. But here I am, at the ripe age of twenty six, and life is going well.

And once again, my head is in the clouds. I'm supposed to be trying to finish the book I'm reading. It isn't everyday I get a day off, after all. I heard the garage door opening downstairs. Sighing, I marked my page, got off my bed and went downstairs.

"Hello?" I heard the familiar voice call as the door opened.

"I'm coming" I said, hurrying downstairs.

As I turned the hallway corner, I heard little footsteps and I was engulfed in a hug.

"Hey baby" I said, hugging the little girl back tightly. "How was your day?"

"Good. Guess what?" the girl said, staring excitedly at me.

"What?" I asked with a smile.

"Today, I was digging in the sand and I found a quarter!" the girl squealed.

"A whole quarter? Woah, you're rich!" I said.

"Yeah! And Daddy said I gotta put it in my piggy bank" she said.

"That's a good idea. Why don't you go do that now?" I suggested. The girl nodded and ran off down the hall and I heard her clamber up the stairs.

I stood up and smiled at the man who stood before me.

"Hey" he said, kissing me.

"Hi. How was work?" I asked.

"Never the same" he laughed. "I got into a great debate with a kid about gay marriage. It was very interesting."

"Wonderful" I said, flipping his own dread lock in his face playfully.

Yes, I was married to Joe. And yes, we had a daughter.

Joe and I never broke up. After he graduated from McKinley, he didn't end up coming to Yale. He went to another University. It was still a long distance relationship for us and there were times when it was really hard. But we managed. We made it. It was quite an accomplishment. Especially because there was one month where we had got into this huge fight. The distance was getting to us both and we both ended up saying things we didn't mean. But we didn't break up and once we had a chance, we sat down and talked things through, just like we had that day in the choir room, so many years before. Since then, we've been okay. Do we argue? Of course. Usually over silly things like when to fill up on gas or what colour peppers are best. I think red are better, but Joe likes yellow ones.

Joe proposed to me a few days after I graduated from Yale. We were back in Lima and he took me out into the street. I had no idea why were were out in the middle of the road, a few houses down from mine, but Joe did. Once he was sure we were in the right exact spot, Joe told me that this is where he was exactly when he first saw me. He said that the day he moved here, he went for a quick skateboard trip around the block and he unknowingly passed my house. He said my mom and I were outside and at that moment, in the spot we stood, he saw me. Then he pulled out a ring and got down on a knee. He had this really, really sweet speech too. It had me in tears. I could recite it all right now, but I won't. We got married in the December of that year. It was a perfect wedding. All our old high school friends came and it was magic. We did our own vows. Joe had the idea of saying his vows in a fake British accent. It was an adorable gesture, but not the best idea because I was laughing the whole time and no one knew the meaning behind it except me. We had the New Directions allumni sing for our first dance. It was an awesome day.

I'm a real estate agent. Okay, maybe it's not a glamorous job, but we can't all end up on Broadway like Rachel Berry. It pays really well and I get to interact with people, which I love. Plus, I'm good at it. As for Joe, funnily enough, he actually became a religion teacher. He got a job at a local high school and teaches grade nine and ten. He loves it. Not only is he sharing his religion with people, he's interacting with people and we always joke that he's making up for the years he was homeschooled. He refused to ditch the dreads so he quickly became the favourite 'cool' teacher of many kids.

As for our daughter, she came a year after we got married. She's three now and her name is Macy Joanna Hart. Yes, we named her after Joe's old neighbour. We felt kinda bad because when we got married, she was too old to be a flower girl. Joe's four year old cousin was our flower girl instead. The original Macy is now thirteen. We still talk with her all the time. Every time we go back to Lima for a visit, we always stop in and chat with her and her parents. When we had told her that our Macy was named after her, she was floored. She thinks of our Macy as her younger sister and it's adorable.

Our Macy is a very smart three year old. She has curly blonde hair and light freckles. She perfect, if I do say so myself. She's very talkative and even sings a bit. She's a real blessing. Joe and I couldn't be happier.

As for everyone else in my life, well, they're still in my life. I stayed in touch with everyone from New Directions and we make sure we all hang out at least once a year. My mom is still as looney but loveable. She's been supporting me the whole time. Same with Joe's parents. They're brilliant and supportive and I think of them as parents to me. My sister and her husband and Tristan still travel, but they no longer are just three. Last summer, Frannie had a baby girl, named Katherine. I'm the Godmother. Frannie and her family always come over for Easter, as do our mom and Joe's parents. We host Easter every year. Beth and Shelby are also still in my life. They both attended our wedding. Beth is ten now. Last year, Joe, Shelby and I sat her down and explained to her that I was technically her mother and I loved her, but Shelby is, and forever will be, her mom. Beth didn't seem upset at all. In fact, she was kinda happy. We try and see them once or twice a year. The only person who isn't in my life is my father. When we were engaged, Joe and I talked about inviting him to the wedding. I wasn't too thrilled with the idea, but Joe really wanted me to try, so I did. I sent him the invite and Frannie said he did get it, but he never came. I'm glad. I've had no regrets about him out of my life. Who needs him? Not me.

All in all, life is grand. I have no complaints.

* * *

><p>"Where are we going?" Macy asked for the seventh time as she had her face pressed up against the cool car window.<p>

"I told you already" I said from the passenger seat. "We're going to Lima. Macy, you better not be licking the window. It's yucky." Macy had gone through a licking phase so Joe and I have to keep a close eye on her.

We were going to Lima for a visit. It had been a few months since we went last. It was also great because all our friends from McKinley were going to be there.

"Macy, we're going to see Grandma and Grandpa and Nanna. Are you excited?" Joe said as he drove.

"Yeah! Is Nanna making me cookies?"

"Maybe if you're good" I said, checking my email on my phone. There were a bunch of messages from the gang confirming that they're coming to Lima.

"Everyone confirmed?" Joe asked, glancing over.

"Eyes on the road" I reminded him. Even after nine years, I'm still not taking any chances. "And yes. I just got an email from Kurt saying that they'll be there a bit late though. Their plane was delayed."

"Who's Kurt?" Macy asked loudly.

"Kurt is our friend. You've met him. Remember, he gave you the little stuffed dog in your room?"

"Oh yeah" Macy said but I don't think she remembered who Kurt was, I think she just remembered the dog in her room.

We arrived in Lima an hour later. We were staying at my mom's house this time. The last time we were in Lima, we stayed at Joe's parent's house so we like to switch it up a bit.

We unloaded the luggage and Macy from the car and I opened the door.

"Hello? Mom? We're here" I called.

"Nana! Nana!" Macy helped me out.

"I'm here, I'm here!" my mom said, hurrying into the foyer. "Sorry, I was on the phone."

"Nana!" Macy screamed with joy and flung herself into her grandmother's arms. My mom had aged a lot in nine years. Granted, she was always the oldest mom out of my friends' moms. She still looked great though.

"Hello Precious" my mom hugged Macy and spun her around. "Look how big you've gotten!"

"Am I as tall as Daddy?" Macy asked. For some odd reason, that was her life's goal.

My mom laughed. "You're taller than his hair."

Joe and I laughed.

My mom set Macy down and hugged and kissed both Joe and myself.

"How are you two doing?" she asked.

"Great. How are you?" I asked.

"Fine, fine! Now, are you guys hungry?" Without waiting for an answer, she continued. "I've made you lunch, come on."

We went into the kitchen where my mom had set out sandwich fixings.

"Well, technically you have to make it yourself, but I got it ready."

"Looks great" Joe said, helping Macy into a chair.

"Yes, thanks" I said, sitting down.

"So what are your plans for the weekend?" my mom asked as we ate.

"Today nothing. Tomorrow nothing. Tomorrow evening we're going to Joe's parent's place for dinner. Then Macy is staying with them while Joe and I go meet with our friends" I said.

"Aw, the whole gang is in town?" my mom smiled.

"Yup" I said. "Even Rory."

"Rory?" my mom asked.

"That transfer kid from Ireland. Well, he's not a kid now. In Senior year, he transferred to McKinley and stayed with Brittany's family." I said.

"I barely know him" Joe said. "I knew for a few months. But after that year, he went back to Ireland."

"Well, you've seen him since. He makes sure to visit when he comes to America" I said.

"Oh! I remember him! When you were in the hospital after your accident, he and a bunch of others came to visit. I just remember his strong accent."

"That's him. Anyways, he's thinking of permanently moving to America so he's here house hunting" I told her.

"Good for him" Joe said. "Macy, don't play with your spoon."

"It's like a little teeny shovel!" Macy announced, waving her spoon around.

"You're right" I said. "But put it down, please."

"So smart" my mom cooed proudly.

"Macy, tell Nana what happened to your balloon from the store" Joe prompted.

Macy grinned. "I forgot to hold on!"

"You did?" my mother gasped. "Then what?"

"It flew away! I said 'bye-bye balloon!'" Macy said, pointing to the ceiling dramatically.

"Yeah but tell her where it went" Joe said.

"The park! It was at the park!"

"Really? Wow, that's quite a story" my mom said, looking at Joe to confirm or deny the last part.

"It's true. We went to the park the next day and it was stuck in a tree" Joe said. "It was crazy."

"Neat" my mom smiled and winked at Macy, who was beaming.

* * *

><p>The rest of the day was spent just chatting with my mom. It was good to catch up with her. The four of us ordered Chinese that night. The next day Joe, Macy and myself went to visit Joe's parents. They're so awesome. It was great to see them and Macy loved the fact that they showered her with attention. During the day, Joe and I did some shopping and we went next door to visit original Macy. She's grown so much. She filled me in on all the pre-teen drama. Times have changed. When I was her age, my biggest issue was if my Tamagotchi was dead yet. Oh, man, I sound old. I'm not old! I'm young!<p>

We ate dinner at Joe's parents' house and my mom came too. That was great because all of us were together. It was just like the old times when Joe and I were dating...plus Macy. After dinner, my mom left to go the Ladies' Movie Night at the church and we left too. Macy stayed with her grandparents. We left as they were starting a puzzle.

"This is exciting" I said as Joe started the car. We were going back to McKinley to see everyone. We meet in the choir room, just like always. Who cares if there's been new Glee kids using it now? That room is, and forever shall be, ours.

"It's always awesome to see how we've grown" Joe said. "We all changed but stayed the same in a way."

"You're the same" I said. "You're exactly the same."

"Am I?"

"Yup. You're still the silly-haired compassionate kid I met so many years ago" I said.

"You haven't changed much either" Joe told me. "You're about the same."

"About?"

"You look older."

"Oh, Joe. You say the sweetest things" I said in a sarcastic monotone tone.

"It's not an insult" Joe said. "I'm not saying you look old! I'm saying you look older than you did when we met."

I crossed my arms. "I don't like this conversation any more" I said with a small smile.

"Well luckily for you, we're here" Joe said. Sure enough, we were in the dark but achingly family school parking lot. We got out of the car and walked to the doors.

The school hasn't really changed at all. We walked to the choir room to find it full and busy already. We were greeted by screams of joy and within four seconds flat, we were wrapped in tight hugs.

"Quinn! Joe! You're here! Look at you! Still hot!" Mercedes grinned.

"Me? Look at you! Fabulous!" I said. She did. She had lost some weight, got a short haircut and was wearing an adorable blue dress.

"So got a boy down there in LA?" I asked her. I scanned the room and didn't see anyone unknown.

Mercedes winked. "Maybe."

"I want details" I said to her and moved on to hug Rachel, Santana, Brittany and Tina.

At first it was just small groups chatting with each other and once in a while someone would move between groups, but after a while, we settled on those maroon plastic chairs in a large circle. We started talking about life. Everyone's life is going just as swimmingly as mine. Mercedes is a singer at a fancy hotel in LA and is dating a guy named Randy, who plays bass in the hotel's band. Santana and Brittany ended up getting married a few years ago in New York because Brittany went there after she graduated. Santana is a model and Brittany's web show Fondue For Two is now a morning talk show on local TV. Rachel did make it to Broadway and starred in many shows. She married Finn four years ago and they have a son named Alex who is almost a year old. Finn works at a video game company where he tests games and pitches new ideas. He's really into it. Kurt and Blaine are also married. They, too, got married in New York. Blaine went to school for music and now writes music for a lot of famous singers. Kurt finally picked between fashion and Broadway. He is the editor in chief of Vogue and also is working on his second fashion line. Kurt and Blaine also adopted a kid; a girl named Mikaela. She's two. Mike and Tina aren't dating and are separately married, but are best friends and dance partners. They teamed up and have a studio where they teach kids how to dance. Sam put his impressions to use on a small scale sketch comedy show. He's got a girlfriend named Jessica now. Artie is a director. He's only done small, unknown films, but it's a start. Sugar has a successful blog about everything from candy to fashion to hot guys. She's still single, though. Puck actually did write a screen play and it did become a movie, one that Artie directed. Puck is also single but he's had many, many partners over the years. Rory and his girlfriend Angela, also from Ireland, are looking to move to America. Rory was a police officer and wants to continue that here. Mr. Schuester and Ms. Pillsbury, or should I say, Mrs. Schuester, are married and have two kids, Jeremy, age five, and Dianne, age two. They both still teach at the school and they promised they'd stop in for a visit tonight too.

* * *

><p>"Remember when Finn had that kissing booth?" Santana laughed. "What did you make, thirty bucks?"<p>

"Two hundred!" Finn laughed. "And hey, at least I was doing something for the team!"

"True" Sam said. "But we did stuff for the team too. Or do you not remember the Men Of McKinley Calendar?"

A wave of laughter shook the room. I remember that calendar. Joe sent me a copy. I think I still have it in a box or something.

"I still have that!" Blaine said.

"Same" Artie smiled.

"Have any of you talked to the others lately? Marley and Jake and Ryder and Kitty and Unique?" Blaine asked.

"I do sometimes" Tina said. "Marley wrote a book."

"I read it" Rachel said. "It was great."

"What was it about?" Puck asked.

"It was about Anorexia and eating disorders and how peers can pressure you" Tina said.

"Did Kitty read it?" Santana smirked. Joe had told me all about how it was finally revealed that Kitty was tampering with Marley's clothes and how mean she was being. Marley ended up forgiving her and they became friends, I think.

"What about Jake and Ryder?" Artie asked. "Who'd she marry?"

"Neither" Tina said. "Ryder became a collage football player and Jake is a dancer. They all went their separate ways."

"Unique works at Vogue" Kurt said. "She's an intern."

"Sorry, but who are you talking about?" Rory asked.

"Kids from New Directions" Kurt said. "You've met them at our wedding."

Rory frowned. "I don't remember."

"Oh! Guess who I ran into last week!" Mercedes clapped her hands loudly. "Jesse!"

"St James?" I asked.

"Yes!"

* * *

><p>We talked for hours. It was so great to catch up with them. It's been a while since I was laughing that hard. I was literally gasping for breath. But after a while, someone looked at a clock and noticed it was past midnight. Rachel and Finn and also Kurt and Blaine decided it was best time to go back because both their kids were at Burt and Carole's. That prompted us all to leave. So we said sad goodbyes and hugged and promised to all get together soon.<p>

"That was fun" Joe said as we walked out into the parking lot. It was super dark and a bit cold since we went in.

"Yeah. I miss everyone though. We don't see each other enough." It was true. Despite the fact that we laughed the night away and it was fun, I left with a heavy heart. It happened every time; you'd think I'd get over it by now.

As if Joe could sense how I was feeling, he put an arm around me. But he didn't seem to have anything to say. I guess he knew there was nothing he could say.

"Are you tired?" Joe asked me as he started the car and the heated seats kicked in, to our satisfaction.

"It's almost one a.m." I said.

"But are you tired? Joe asked. "Or do you maybe want to go for a little trip?"

I smiled. Joe was always planning something. "Alright."

Joe ended up driving us to the park.

"Ah, the park. I haven't been here in ages" I said. The last couple times we've come to Lima, we've either been too busy to take Macy to the park, her grandparents did it, or it was too cold. "Now that I think about it, when was the last time we came to the park?"

Joe paused as he thought about it. "It was during a summer. I think it was after my first year at University."

"Yeah, I think you're right" I said. "And that was after the playground structure was rebuilt so we ran around and played on that like five year olds."

Joe laughed. "That was fun!"

"It was" I said as we started walking on the dark path.

There were a few lights in the park that lit our way, but for the most part, it was dark.

Joe and I walked to a bench, where we could see the whole park and the large field behind it. There was also a single lamp post nearby. I sat as close to my husband as possible and rested my head on his shoulder. He put his arms around me.

"I love you" I whispered. "We've been together for years and I can't imagine life without you."

"Me neither" Joe said quietly.

"It's weird to think that we survived since high school" I continued. "You know, seeing everyone and how they're not with who they dated in high school made me glad that we are."

"Some of them are" Joe pointed out. "Finn and Rachel, Kurt and Blaine, and Santana and Brittany."

"But they all broke up at one point" I said. "We never did. That's rare, you know."

"I know. We had something special."

"Have" I corrected. "We still do."

"Yeah. Did you ever think that life would turn out like it did?" Joe asked.

"Never. Never, ever, ever" I said to emphasize my point. "But I'm glad it did."

We sat there on that bench, silently. I don't know about him, but my mind was racing through all our memories. Everything we've been through. When we met, my car accident, our first date which led to our first kiss, prom, graduation, our wedding, our honeymoon, buying a house, getting pregnant, Macy's birth... We've been through so much. It was so magical.

If you had asked me my freshman year of high school what my life would be like, I never thought it'd be so amazing.

Life's wonders were just sorta thrown at me. But before it ignited, it was nothing more than a simple spark.

_When you're in love you never really know whether your elation comes from the qualities of the one you love, or if it attributes them to her; whether the light which surrounds her like a halo comes from you, from her, or from the meeting of your sparks._

_-Natalie Clifford Barney _

* * *

><p><strong><em><em>****A/N**

**Yes, this is the last chapter. Sparks is over. :( Wow, this is like saying goodbye to an old friend. It took a year, but it's complete. I know this is such a small ship. I mean Quinn and Joe were never even official and yet, this came from it! Pretty amazing.**

**I hope you all like these last two chapters. I'm a sucker for future plots. It was fun to write because I could make it as interesting as I wanted. :) But just note that I'm in highschool so I have no idea what Univeristy is like. Ahahaha**

**Thanks to all who read it, favourited it, reviewed it and supported it. You stuck by it through an author change. Speaking of which, Zemmamma777, if you're reading this, I hope you liked what I did with it. :) I couldn't have done it without you.**

**Anyways, I love you all. :) If you wanna contact me, my twitter is AVeryMagicGleek and I have a glee blog at **

**gleerificnewsstop{dot}wordpress{dot}com **

**Oh, one last thing. I have no idea who Natalie Clifford Barney is. I just googled quotes about sparks and that was the one I like best. But I searched her and she's a famous lesbian or something IDK.**


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